I'm What?
by theladyknight
Summary: AU. Sora Takenouchi has a big secret: she's a princess! She must keep it a secret while keeping up in school, spending time with her friends, attending princess lessons, and going after the guy of her dreams. Good thing she has this journal! Sorato
1. Of a Journal

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or The Princess Diaries.

Summary: A/U and a tiny bit of OOCness at the beginning. Sora Takenouchi, average girl, just trying to fit in her school, receives some unbelievable news from her father: she is actually a princess! Based off of The Princess Diaries. Sora relates everything from lessons with her proper Grams to trying to snag the guy of her dreams in this journal...

A/N: New story, just something I thought of when I was reading Meg Cabot's _The Princess Diaries_. This story'll be more like the books than the movie though it'll still be a lot different than the books to. Ages of people are switched around. And expect some healthy amounts of Sorato, Takari, and Koumi to appear later on. Please R & R.

Chapter 1: Of A Journal

**Friday, September 29  
My Room****  
**  
It's always a bad thing when your mother says the words, "We need to talk." Every time my mother has, the results have been ugly, usually embarrassing, and scarring me for life. There was the, "When a girl reaches a certain age, she needs to start getting ready to have babies," talk. The whole, "You're not cool if you don't stay in school," thing. And the worst yet, "When two people love each other, well I guess they don't have to love each other, and they want to join as one, not meaning they want to get married..." Well, you get the picture.

Why my mother cannot act like any other normal human being when attempting to describe certain situations is beyond me. I'm a teenager, for God's sake! Seriously, it's not like I don't know all about this stuff anyway. But instead of talking to me like the mature young adult that I am, she insists on explaining it like I am a three year old. Why can't she just say it's your period, school is more important than you think, and don't have sex, but if you do, use a condom! How hard is that?

So today, I walked into my mom's sunroom where she keeps a lot of her flowers, afraid of the subject she'd be bringing up. She was sitting in her wicker chair, holding a letter in her hand.

"Sora, please sit down." My mother asked.

"What is it, mom?"

I looked at her, ready for the explanation andnervously waiting to hear today's topic of choice. "This just arrived from your school principal."

"What does it say?" I asked, trying to look innocent though I already knew the answer.

"Sora Isabel Takenouchi! (1) According to this, you tripped Jennifer Jones in the lunchroom today causing her to land in the trash can."

Let me take this opportunity to explain my innocence. That bitch had it coming all along! But more about her later. "I was only helping clean up the environment. You always told me trash belonged in the trashcan. I was just doing my civic duty."

It looked like my mom was trying to hold back a grin. She already knew all about Jennifer. "Nonetheless, it appears you are going to be spending a week in detention." I sighed. Guess I knew it was coming. "Sora, though I don't exactly condone your actions, I do wish you'd find other ways of taking your anger out other than on people you dislike."

Well, I sat there thinking, maybe mom's not so bad after all. Most parents would throw a hissy fit if their daughter did something like that and justified it with the response I'd used. I'll admit, mom is cooler than I thought. But then she had to go and pull a stunt like this, making me retract what I had just thought. She pulled something out of a bag. "Sora, I want you to use this notebook as a journal and write down your feelings in here." She checked her watch and then got up. "I have a client in ten minutes. Talk to you later, dear."

Mom walked out of the room, leaving me staring at this...journal. Thanks a lot, mother!

**Sunday, October 1 My Room**

I never really believed I would be one to write in a journal. They're the kind of things reserved for girly girls and stuck up whores like Jennifer. Those are just a few of the groups I have to put with everyday at Chicago's Abraham Lincoln High. I,sixeteen year old Sora Takenouchi, am just starting my sophomore year and as of right now, hating every minute of it. Really, I'm not a bad student so that's not why I hate it. Other than Music Appreciation, one of the freaking dumbest classes I bet I'll ever have to take, I'm having no trouble academically.

As for extracurricular activities, I play tennis though I'm really not that great at it. It keeps me busy and as my mother says, out of trouble. I help out with certain school events like homecoming and all that good stuff, but quite honestly being around all the jocks and cheerleaders just isn't my forte. Of course, I have friends, very great friends, but it's hard to say where exactly we fit in on Abe Lincoln's social ladder. My guess is somewhere in between the geeks, nerds, and foreign exchange students.

It's hard to say how the friends I've made actually became my friends in the first place. To make things easier, I'll make a list of my friends and the acquaintances I have that actually say hi to me in the halls, if nothing else.

Friends and People Who May Actually Like Me

1)Mimi Tachikawa: My best friend for life. At first appearance you'd never guess Mimi and I would be friends. She's pretty, perky, and pretty ditzy. I'm more subtle, plain looking, and quite a bit smarter than her. But through it all, Mimi and I became the best of friends, and I can rely on her through thick and thin.

2)Miyako Inoue: She's new at the school, but we've become friends. Miyako is boy crazy and currently is the only one in our circle of friends with a boyfriend. His name is Ken Ichijouji, and he is a boy genius that attends a private all-boys school across town. How boring!

3)Takeru Ishida: (2) Takeru is a little sweetheart. He's a freshman, a grade below me, and someone I used to baby-sit a while back. Takeru's a jock and pretty popular. He asked me to tutor him when we are in the resource room fifth period because his grades aren't the greatest, and he wants to keep playing basketball.

4)Hikari Yagami: She, too, is a freshman, and I met her through Takeru. Hikari and Takeru are best friends and swear there is nothing more to their relationship but about everyone knows it's not true. Hikari's is a really nice girl, and I'm betting by at least Christmas, will be going out with Keru.

5)Christine Taylor: A neighbor and fellow sophomore, along with Mimi and Miyako. Christine and I have known each other for a long time. First we hated each other, then in our fourth grade year, became close friends. It's a wonder how the world works.

6)Yamato Ishida: Takeru's older brother. Senior hottie and musical genius. What more can I say about him? Yamato is pretty popular with the other seniors. He's smart, handsome, and sticks to his beliefs, which has earned him a lot of respect from his fellow classmates. Yamato could hang out with the popular crowd but actually chooses not to. Instead, and this really confuses me, he hangs out with the best soccer player in school, Taichi Yagami, Hikari's older brother, and the blue-haired nerd Jyou Kido. I know Yamato and am actually on hi-bye terms with him in the hallways because he always picked Takeru up from my place when I used to baby-sit him. Yamato and I have had a few decent conversations, but nothing that's going to result in some sort of romance or long-term friendship. But I guess I can hope. (3)

Well, those are the people I actually do consider friends or at least on speaking terms with. Sure, there are the others I'll talk to occasionally but none worth mentioning, or I can't remember their names. But I also have a list of people I dislike or wish knew me.

People who hate me (guess I hate them too) or I wish knew me

1)Jennifer Jones: Bitch, whore, jerk, just about any synonym of those words would describe her. We met in the kindergarten and just hated each other from first sight. Jennifer is one of the most popular people in our grade and probably the whole school. Most of that's probably due to the fact she's dating the hottest guy on the planet (even though Yamato is a very close second) Jacob Richards. No one knows what he sees beyond the long blonde hair, blue eyes, and evil attitude she carries. It's beyond all logical reasoning. Jennifer and I have gotten into enough catfights to last us a lifetime though I'm sure more will come.

2) Jacob Richards: Every time I think of him my heart skips a beat. Corny isn't it. There's only one little problem; he doesn't know who I am! He's gorgeous and the dream guy. He's tall, dark, and handsome. And unfortunately already taken. Like I said before he is going out with Jennifer, which no one understands. Oh well, my chances with him are about as high as mine with Yamato. At least his locker is right next to mine!

3)Jennifer's groupies, the jocks, the cheerleaders, and a list of some other elite groups at Abe Lincoln.

4)Mr. Reynolds: My music appreciation teacher. I guess its unfair to say that he hates me. He really doesn't, it's more like a disappointment in me. He thinks I could be really good at his subject, but I have to disagree. But I do have a reason for hating him. At parent-teacher conferences, when he was explaining to my mother about me not understanding the difference between half notes and quarter notes, he ASKED HER OUT! Seriously I don't know if it is some kind of evil revenge but what's even worse is that my mother accepted. So far no one but Mimi knows about this, and I hope to keep it that way.

I never thought my mother would date someone like him. She's never really been interested teacher type men. But I guess there's a first time for everything. Crap, it's 11:30. Mom's heading up to my room, and I bet she's going to yell at me. I'll write more about it later.

**Monday October 2  
Algebra II**

I guess by mentioning my mother and her choice of boyfriend, I should begin to describe the tangled web that is my family.

Here's the story. I live with my mother in an apartment located in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA. My father lives on an island by the Bahamas named Prince Phillipe's Isle. When I researched it for a Western Civilization project last year, the encyclopedia informed me it was named after the Spanish governor who ruled it. But that's kind of off topic. Dad is involved somewhat in the government there, but he's really never told me what exactly it is that he does.

Mom, on the other hand, is a floral arranger here in the Windy City. She works for a big company but has dreams of opening up her own flower shop and arrangement empire someday.

I spend the summers with my father at his summer home in the Bahamas. The beach is great and most of the people are really nice. Unfortunately, with that comes Grams, my dad's mom. Quite frankly she's a little too proper and prim for, well, anybody. She and I don't see eye to eye very often on a matter of things. Thankfully, I won't have to see her until summer break.

Dad writes often, usually checking up on how we're all doing. You see, this is the funny thing about the whole arrangement. Mom and Dad were never married. It was a college thing. They were friend,s and one night at a party after having a little too much to drink, they ended up getting a little friendlier than they ever imagined. So long story short, nine months later I was born. Mom and Dad had decided after learning mom was pregnant, marriage wasn't something in their future. However, Dad promised to be by her side when it happened and stick around.

Well, duty ended up calling, and he had to move back to Prince Phillipe's Island shortly after I was born. But really, he's a great dad. Our situations not as bad as it sounds.

Looks like the bell is going to ring. Thank God! I don't know if I can stand another minute listening to our teacher drone on about quadratic equations. Now I've gotta go help Takeru with his homework and somehow attempt to get my Music Appreciation homework done before class. And then I've got detention tonight. I just love school!

* * *

(1): Sora Isabel Takenouchi...Sora's mother's maiden name is Takenouchi in this fic. Her father's last name will be revealed in the coming chapters.

(2): Takeru Ishida...Yama and Takeru's parents are back together in here too...

(3): Yamato Ishida...To get everyone's characters to fit in, I had to change some of the ages around. Yamato, Taichi, and Jyou are all two years older than Sora, Mimi, Koushiro, and Miyako and three years older than Takeru and Hikari. Sorry if it's a bit confusing! Also, Sora's character is not this cynical and angry the whole fic; right now she's just venting out some of her anger at...well, the world. The normal Sora will appear very very soon!

A/N: Please review and tell me what you think. New chapter will be up soon! Please Review!


	2. Of Tutoring, Men, and Hair Dye

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the Princess Diaries

A/N: To answer a couple of questions, this fic is based off the film _The Princess Diaries (Yama-sama: yep, the new film is a continuation of the first)_ and the book series _The Princess Diaries,_ and its sequels, written by Meg Cabot. But I'm basing this story more off the books than the film. I rewatched the film to get some ideas for this, but I really didn't like the way it was going compared to the books. So basically the only thing I'm using from the film or the books, for that matter, is the ideathat agirl finds out she's a princess and has to take lessons from her grandmother.Ninety nine percent of the story is purely original.If you've got any questions about the whole idea of the _Princess Diaries_, like the general plot and what not, e-mail me and I'll explain. Also, as of the first chapter Sora and Taichi do not know each other. But…in chapter two they are introduced and start becoming friends. How boring would this fic be without Taichi! Please R&R and enjoy and thank you to everybody that does review.

Chapter 2: Of Tutoring, Men, and Hair Dye

**Wednesday October 4**  
**Detention  
**

Homework:

English: read story on page 47 and write 5 questions and 5 five predictions  
Algebra II: none  
Spanish II: conjugate los verbos irregulares, sustituir, seguir, y conseguir  
Biology: water lab write-up due next Wed...

The resource room. The place I spend fifth period each day for the first semester has just gotten a lot more interesting. At the beginning of school year, the only inhabitants of this room were Takeru, three junior boys, and I.

We're only a month into the school year and now our resource room is full with usually fifteen people. Most of the people, such as Takeru and Mimi, yes Meems got sent here because of her dismal biology grade, are in here for help with homework.

Then there are the handful of people, including me, who were asked by certain teachers to come help tutor these people. I'm a math tutor, and I usually help others with Algebra I, Geometry, or the class I am in right now, Algebra II. Quite honestly, there are a lot better things I could be doing with my time, but then again I get extra credit in Algebra, and there are a few other perks with being in here!

And finally, there is the very elite group made up, at the moment, of two people. These two are the geniuses, who instead of having to sit in a loud study hall to work on their masterpieces, are invited here to work and keep their sanity. Koushiro Izumi, one of the new students at Abe Lincoln, is one of them. His family moved here from Japan at the beginning of the year. The word genius is an understatement when describing Koushiro. He's only a sophomore, but he has an incredible IQ, which surpasses that of the senior class valedictorian. Meems thinks he cute; I think she's crazy. Koushiro has short red hair and is very preppy. I think he looks like a computer nerd, but then again he is well on his way to becoming the next Bill Gates, so I guess it works for him.

I'm definitely not complaining about the other genius that is the Resource fifth period: Yamato Ishida. Like I said before, Yamato is a musical prodigy. He basically spends his time in here with his cd player on, writing new music and lyrics for his band, The Wolves.

When I was in junior high, the band was named the Teenage Wolves. Yamato and three of his friends, though I've never been introduced to them, changed the name to signify their maturity. To them, the word teenage just brought in teeny bobber fans and ditzy groupies. Yamato once told me though his band was pretty popular; they wanted to reach out to all sorts of people, not just the teenage girls. He also told me the band was just a high school thing. He and the others each have individual plans for the future.

Takeru told me Yamato has applied to Julliard and a couple other high-up performing arts schools. In addition to having a wonderful voice and the ability to play the electric bass, Yamato has mastered piano, harmonica, and about every string and percussion instrument imaginable. Talk about talent.

I, on the other hand, have absolutely no music ability whatsoever. Take me in Music Appreciation. Right now we are studying the scales, types of notes, key signatures and all that boring stuff before we can "divulge ourselves in the great art in which we call music," as Mr. R. says. Sitting in front of me was a sheet with a grand staff on it and instructions to label each note. Seriously, how will this help me when I'm listening to the music on the radio? How...

Okay, the coast is clear now. The teacher in charge of detention tonight just came over here, wondering what I was working on.

But anyway, back to what I was saying before. There I was, sitting by myself staring at my MA homework and hoping it would answer itself. I had just finished helping Takeru and another girl with their algebra homework, a whole whopping ten minutes worth and waiting for the last thirty minutes of class to pass. Fifth period is the lunch period. We eat first lunch, the first twenty minutes of the period, and then stay in the resource room for the next forty minutes.

Suddenly Ms. Lewis, the moderator, came over to me. What surprised me about the whole thing was that she had brought a person with her, Taichi Yagami. I put this away because I definitely didn't want him to accidentally see what I had written about his best friend, Yamato. Hikari told me her brother has a big mouth, and the last thing I need is for this to be passed around school.

"Ms. Takenouchi, if you're not doing anything, could you possibly assist Mr. Yagami with his algebra II homework?"

"Yeah." I responded. I mean come on; it's not exactly like I had a choice.

"That would be great." Ms. Lewis replied. There was a crash and a door slammed. "I wonder who locked Koushiro in the closet today." She wondered walking off. Sometimes, okay every day, the boy genius gets a little too annoying for us, muttering things about computer languages and quantum physic theories. The only way we can get him to shut up is by locking him in the supply closet at the edge of the room. Temporary solution, but it gives us at least fifteen minutes of peace and quiet.

"It only took her," Taichi glanced at the clock, "ten minutes to notice it today. She's getting better." He mused, giving me a cheesy smile. Taichi Yagami was someone I hardly ever talked to. He's a senior, a popular senior, and hangs out with people like Yamato. Surprisingly, I do have one class with him; algebra II. There are a couple of seniors in my class. The majority are juniors while there are a few sophomores like me.

I smiled back. "Guess we're going to have to find a new place to hide him, huh." I responded hoping I didn't sound too stupid.

"Couldn't agree with you more." He responded, setting down his book bag and unzipping it. "Okay, can you please explain to me what in the world a quadratic equation is?" he asked handing me the worksheet.

I looked at the sheet and took out my own. "Here's your problem. You're trying to solve it exactly like a linear equation."

Tai looked even more confused than he does whenever our teacher asks him a question. "Could you possibly repeat that in English?" I smiled at his remark. "Or maybe in simpler terms."

I showed him where he was going wrong, and we both managed to finish our worksheets, I guess there is a brain under that giant mountain of hair. He stood up and put everything in his bag. "Thanks for all the help, Sora. I actually understand quadruple equations now."

"Don't you mean quadratic, Taichi?" I asked, trying not to laugh. Laughing was something I had been doing ever since I had begun helping the brunette. He was always cracking a joke or unintentionally saying something stupid. What a cool, funny guy!

"Right!" he answered then rolled his eyes. "I'll talk to you in class tomorrow. Now, I'm gonna go look for a new place to lock Koushiro!" he waved and walked over to Takeru. (A/N: Hope it doesn't sound like I'm bashing Koushiro. In the actual books, the characters do lock one boy in the closet everyday, the smartest boy in the class! He just happened to fit the boy's role.)

I still had fifteen minutes until the bell rang and had yet to tackle my MA homework. I wanted to beat my head on the table. Who cares about this crap?

"Do you need some help?" A rich baritone voice said. I looked up into the face of Yamato, trying not to get lost in his eyes.

"That would be great, thanks." I answered as he sat down next to me.

"What are you working on?"

"Music appreciation. I'm not exactly musically inclined. This class is my downfall."

He laughed and his leg brushed up against mine. I knew my face was red, a horrible habit I inherited from my mother's side. "We've all got stuff we're bad at. Let me see that." He took the paper and studied it before beginning to explain treble clef and the different types of notes. I found myself understanding it and actually enjoying learning about it. But then again, that could be because the teacher is HOT and was sitting very close to me!

Yamato and I worked for the rest of the class period until the bell rang. "Thank you so much. You're a life saver." Oh my God, that was so corny!

"Don't worry about it," he answered, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "I'm glad to help. If you ever need any more, just let me know." He waved and left for his next class. Maybe it is a good thing I'm very close to failing Music Appreciation!

**Friday October 5**  
**Music Appreciation**

Sometimes I really wonder what my mother sees in Mr. R. I guess he's not that bad looking for someone in his late thirties. But what qualities does she exactly see in him anyway? If she had to sit here everyday eighth period for forty minutes, she probably wouldn't be dating him. He comes off as a pretty dull, unexciting guy. My mom shouldn't have a problem finding a nice, decent guy that doesn't teach at my school!

While I'm on the subject of guys, I'm going to express how crazy my best friend is. So we were sitting in our seventh period English class going over this story about a monkey. I was trying to figure out why we would be reading something like that; I mean seriously, we're sophomores, shouldn't the school board offer a more challenging curriculum? Mimi sits next to me and passed me a note.

Hey, Sor. Guess what?

_We get out early? Jennifer got expelled? Jacob Richards likes me?_

No, silly. I'm going to dye my hair!

_What!_

It's kind of a spur of the moment thing. Koushiro and I were talking in the resource room the other day, and he mentioned something about Hollywood being in total control of the fashion industry and what colors people wear. Well, he mentioned wishing someone would do something drastic like do something no one in the school would expect. I was thinking about that during PE and decided to go for it!

_Meems, are you feeling all right?_

Of course! Koushiro made so much sense!

_Are you sure you're not just doing this because you want him to ask you out or something?_

Well, maybe that's part of it, but I actually think I agree with him.

_Uh, sure. What color are you going to dye your hair._

That's a surprise. I guess you'll just have to find out like the others…

Why am I getting the feeling this will only result in disaster? Mimi, my best friend forever, is someone that's not known for being spontaneous and a risk taker. She lives off of all the brand name stores and fashion catalogs, keeping up with what to wear or not to wear. I have a very strong feeling she had absolutely no idea what Koushiro had been going on about in the resource room but had been so interested in him and not what he was saying to not realize what she was planning.

I hope this doesn't turn out bad…

**Things to do:**

Convince Meems not to dye her hair  
Buy new watch  
Make sure mom pays water bill  
Stop by the Ice Cream Shoppe and get a frozen yogurt  
Make sure Mimi doesn't dye hair

**Sunday, October 7**  
**My Room**

I should have tried harder to persuade Mimi against her plans. Really, I tried; apparently not hard enough, but I did make an attempt. Multiple attempts, for the matter.She can't blame me. Well, I was having a nice peaceful sleep after going to the late show with Miyako, Hikari, and Christine last night. But my sleep was interrupted as the doorbell rang.

Getting up was harder than I thought. I assumed Mom would open the door but then remembered the note she had left last night saying she had to go shopping this morning. I yawned and put on my robe, not expecting to be greeted by such a shocking sight.

Pink hair. Shocking pink hair.

"Do you like it?" Mimi asked in her perky voice.

"Damn it, Meems! What the hell did you do?" I responded finally awake. My best friend had dyed her hair her favorite color. Was she on crack? What was she thinking?

"I love it! So does Koushiro."

I blinked. "He knows already?"

She grinned. "Of course. He went with me to get it done yesterday!" You have got to be kidding me. My friend has officially gone mental!

"So your guys first date was to a beauty salon." Mimi blushed. Okay, I was just teasing her, trying to put a little humor into my morning. But then she nodded her head. Oh my God!

"Yeah! He told me I looked beautiful and that he thought I always looked beautiful. Oh I'm so happy! Koushiro Izumi asked me out!"

I blinked again. "Um, that's great Meems." Lying was something I'm pretty good at. Well, I really don't lie, I just kind of exaggerate a bit, but in this case it was a flat out humongous lie.

"I've gotta go tell the others. See you at school tomorrow!" she shut the door, leaving me standing on the other side. I somehow managed to find my room and lie back down on the bed. She is one of the craziest people I have ever met.

Though I was awake, I didn't feel like getting dressed or ready to do anything. My eyes found a mirror and I looked into it. If Mimi and I found a white-hared friend, we'd be all ready for Valentine's Day. I looked at my appearance, really wondering how Mimi, my fashion-crazed, pink-obsessed best friend and I ever became friends. Our looks were as different as our personalities.

Mimi, former brunette, now has curly pink hair, brown eyes, and is about 5'5. I have straight red hair that goes down to my mid back, ruby eyes, and am 5'9. Tall and plain would probably be the best words to describe me. I was always getting made fun of, particularly by a girl named Jennifer, because of the way I look, especially for my eye color, but I had a feeling that tomorrow more of the insults would be directed at Meems. I tried to warn her.

Knowing Mimi, she won't take any of the insults to heart but if there is a particular horrible one, I'd stay out of her way. Mimi can control her temper usually, unlike me but every now and then, she'll snap. I've got one fiery temper that explodes in a situation like that. Mom blames it on me being a redhead. When I get mad, cuss words come flying out of my mouth, and I usually throw in a punch or two if the person has made me really angry. I should probably work on that.

I heard the sound of a door shutting and realized mom had come back. Deciding to tell her about Mimi's crazy antics sounded like a good thing. My relationship with my Mom is pretty strong considering she's raised me all on her own. As I was about to leave the room, my phone rang. I assumed it was one of my friends calling to gossip about Mimi's hair color of choice.

"Hello."

"Holá hija!" (Hello, daughter.)The rich voice of my father said with his slight accent. The main language of Prince Phillipe's Isle is Spanish so I guess it's no wonder why I'm taking it and have absolutelyno problems in the class.

"Holá papá. ¿Comó está usted?" (Hi, Dad. How are you?)

"Bien, gracias." (Fine, thank you. ) In my father's typical fashion he asked the greetings in español before switching to English. "Sora, it's good to talk to you. Listen, I have some news. I'll be flying up to Chicago in about two weeks!"

"What for!" I exclaimed. My father hardly ever flies in but when he does, it's usually for an important reason.

"You'll see when I get there. Is your mother home by chance? I need to talk to her?"

"Yeah, she just got back. I'll put her on."

"Gracias, hija. Adios." (Thanks, daughter. Goodbye.)

"Hasta luego, papá." (See you later, Dad.) I responded. "Mom, Dad wants to talk to you." My mother came into the room and took the phone before leaving.

At least that's some good news for the day because tomorrow at school will definitely be interesting.

A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? What'd you think? The first few chapters deal with Sora's life before she finds out she's a princess. I apologize for all the original characters; next chapter I'll make a list of the important ones! Things get more interesting when her father shows up and that'll be soon! Please review!


	3. Of Stories

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or the Princess Diaries or any movie or TV show I name.

A/N: Where to begin…Okay, a few differences between the movie and books: Mia's father is dead in the movie where as he is alive in the books (though he does have a little problem…); her parents were married and secretly divorced in the movie but in the books were never married because Mia's mom did not believe in marriage at the time; in the movie, though she and her grandmother have their differences, they tend to get along, unlike in the books where they are constantly at each others throats; movie-San Francisco, book-New York City; in the movie Jeremiah is the guy who likes Lily, but in the books Lily's boyfriend is Boris, a musical prodigy from Russia. Also in the film her grandmother is queen but in the books she is only dowager princess. Just a little background information for anyone who had some questions. Thanks to everybody who reviewed and I hope you like this chapter. Please R&R!

Other characters to remember: Jennifer (Sora and Mimi's rival), Jacob (hot sophomore, Sora's got a crush on him), Christine (one of Sora's friends), Mr. Reynolds (aka Mr. R, Sora's Music Appreciation teacher and her mother's new boyfriend) and more will come up later…

_**Aino Yuy aka Usagi-Hater:** I hope I answered your questions above but if you have anymore feel free to ask them. I think I mentioned Sora's parents never married in the first chapter, but I really don't remember. Also in this chapter we find out Sora's dad has a little problem I purposely didn't disclose above that will very much involve Sora. And your right, what an attention span—she's known Yamato for a long time though, so I guess she's learned to be herself. Thanks for the review!_

_**Blondie121147**:Yep, the movie changed a lot of things from the book and I decided to use the book's version because it'll throw in a couple of surprises. Also THANK YOU SO MUCH for the help with the list in this chapter, gurlie! I had to force myself to think of people to add that Sora wouldn't have on her list because I didn't disagree with any people you had on your list! You're awesome…ps I saw The Notebook (it was sooo good!)_

Chapter 3: Of Stories

**Tuesday October 9  
English**

There was never a dull moment yesterday, and it's going to take me a long time to describe the events that took place.

I got ready to go to school just like any other day. Meems new hair color would be revealed to the rest of our school, and I was both anxious and scared to see what the others had to say about it. She may be my best friend, but seriously, she dyed her hair because a guy told her to; she needs to realize how stupid that is. But at the same time, I feel kind of guilty. I should be supportive of her even though I really don't agree with what she did.

Uh oh, here comes my teacher. He's checking our notes to make sure we've been writing what he's said. Crap…

In the film _Batman,_ directed by Tim Burton, the colors, (choose 3) are used to symbolize three core ideas throughout the film.

Black—darkness, people in the dark  
Red—danger, bad things  
Yellow—A warning  
Green—greed or new life  
Blue—security  
Purple—mix of danger and security  
White—pureness

Okay, he's gone. Never in a million years will I understand why we are forced to watch films and take seven pages of notes about the colors then are expected to write a paper over it. Whatever happened to just sitting down and watching the film in peace and sanity? Sorry, I get off topic quite a bit.

Anyway, Mimi arrived at school, looking perfectly cheerful and content with everything. She came over and greeted me. "Hey, Sor!"

"Meems, why are you so cheerful?"

"It's a great day! What's not to be cheerful about?"

Jacob Richards chose that time to stop at his locker with the devil accompanying him just like always. "Hello, Mimi, Sora." Jennifer said. She then covered her mouth. "Oh my, I didn't know it was Halloween already."

Mimi put a smirk on her face. "Oh, so that explains all the makeup on your face. I just thought it was a severe case of acne. Come on Sor, I need your help with my bio homework. Later, Jennifer!" She left a wide mouthed Jennifer staring at our retreating backs.

Mimi pulled my arm and led me towards our homeroom. I began cracking up. "That was awesome."

"All in a days work." She and I both began to laugh again. Mimi didn't seem to care what anyone had to say about her hair. She told me at the end of the day, she had received a total of 32 positive comments versus 31 negative. I couldn't believe she actually counted the number of comments people gave her.

Quite honestly, Mimi's hair was the talk of the school. Rumors and gossip spread faster than you can walk from one side of the school to the other. In the resource room it was no different. Nearly everyone was gathered around Mimi's table, questioning, praising, and admiring her. Mimi appeared just as cheerful as she had earlier in the morning, holding onto Koushiro's hand and laughing along with the others.

"Guess there's no need to lock the boy genius up in a closet today!" a merry voice said. I looked up to see Taichi standing next to me grinning. "Can I take a seat?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied. Wow, Taichi actually wants to sit by me even though we have no algebra homework or anything.

Another voice entered our conversation. "Mind if I join you as well?" Taichi and I looked up to be greeted by the heavenly face of Yamato.

"Pull up a seat, buddy!" Taichi exclaimed. "Couldn't concentrate?"

Yamato grinned. "Even with my cd player cranked, I could barely hear myself thinking over all the racket they're making."

"That's Mimi for you," I said, glad I could get my two cents worth into the conversation. "There's never a quiet moment around her." I can't believe I'm sitting here with two popular seniors!

Both boys nodded their heads in agreement. "Who would've thought someone's hair could cause this much gossip." Taichi mused. "I should try something like that!" Yamato burst into laughter. "What!" Taichi asked indignantly.

"There is no way in hell you would ever do anything to your hair." The blond singer laughed. He turned to me. "Taichi has been letting his hair grow since we were eleven years old without getting it cut."

"Really?" I asked astonished. "That's like, seven years!"

"It's not that much, really if you think about it."

"Seven years!" I repeated. "You have more hair than me."

Yamato laughed again. "He refuses to cut it. This one time, I was over at his place, and his grandma was there. Here's the thing about his grandma; she's really old and almost blind. It was around Christmas time and their family was getting ready to trim the tree. Well little old grandma with her poor eyesight and all, began to hang ornaments from Taichi's hair. She finally realized it was her," Yamato paused fluttering his eyelashes, "darling grandson when she tried to put the star of top of his head!"

I cracked up too. "Did that really happen?" Though Taichi refused to say anything, his bright red face was evidence enough for me.

"If you thought that was bad, you should hear about Yama and his hair." Taichi didn't stay down and out for long.

"Taichi…" Yamato warned flashing him a dangerous look.

Taichi gave a cheeky smile and faced me. "So, Yamato and I went to his apartment to work on a chemistry project last year, and Takeru greets us. It had been raining outside and, Yamato bolted into the bathroom to put some gel in his ruined hair. Takeru walked over to their refrigerator and put a tally mark on this gigantic sheet of paper that was already full of hundreds of marks. I asked him what it was for, and he told me ever since the first day of high school, he's been counting how many times Yamato gels his hair. I think at last count, according to Takeru's stats, the number is over 1,000!"

Tears fell from my eyes as my laughter continued. "And people think girls are so obsessed with their hair! Man, they have yet to meet the two of you." I managed to get out. The rest of the period was spent with Taichi and Yamato locked in a battle of embarrassing stories trying to prove the other was obsessed with their hair. It was clear to me they both were, but I would never say it to either of their faces. My personal favorite story had to be the last one Yamato managed to get in before the bell rang.

"The only time Taichi has ever done something to change his hair was Halloween the year that song "Blue" by Eiffel 65 came out. (A/N: Not mine!) You see, Sora, Taichi had decided to dress up like the main character from the song and went all out; blue clothes, blue paint on his skin, and as you probably guessed, blue hair. Well, Tai here wasn't too happy with the first results of his little hair dying, so he repeated it, five times. We went trick-or-treating and everything was fine until some raging lunatic called me at two in the morning yelling about his hair still being blue..."

Well, there were stories and explanations given for everything that day, including one regarding the reason my father called. Mom cornered me when I got home from school with a really serious expression on her face.

"Did someone die?" I asked trying to read the grave expression she carried.

My mom shook her head. "No, sweetie, no one died. Uh, please sit down."

"What is it, Mom?" By now I was getting to be really concerned. "You can tell me."

"Honey, your father just finished his last chemotherapy session." I looked at her and then the realization hit me. "Yes, Sora, your father had cancer."

Cancer. That was big. Really big. I was almost too afraid to ask what kind of cancer but mustered up my courage. My mother got a little flushed in the face, and that kind of confused me. She began to look around nervously and fidget in her seat, like she was uncomfortable to say it to my face. "Mom…" I began.

"He just got over testicular cancer, Sora and they had to cut the cancerous section out..." she trailed off. Wow, talk about dropping a bombshell. That definitely was not something I had been expecting to hear her say. But I don't blame my mother for being uncomfortable telling me this. How comfortable can you be when you have to tell your teenage daughter her father only has one testicle left….eww! I really do not want to think about this right now.

"Why exactly is he coming here though, Mom? I mean it'll be great to see him again and everything, but shouldn't he be taking some time off for a little rest and relaxation? If I were him, I'd much rather be enjoying the nice sandy beaches of Prince Philippe's Isle than the concrete jungle that we call home!"

My mother managed a sad smile. I'm getting a very strong feeling there's something she's hiding from me. "That's a matter between you and your father, dear." My mom left the room and left me hanging on her last words. Okay, something is up...

Looks like class is almost over. Thank God. Tomorrow we start writing our papers over the symbolism of colors in the film. I can't wait! Less than one week until dad comes to Chicago and I find out what my parents have been hiding from me.

**Thursday October 11  
Art I**

I just love it when we have substitutes in class. The guys all set out to make the teacher's day a living hell while the girls all chat and gossip with one another. Mimi is in my art class and whenever we have a sub in any class we have together, we take the opportunity to make lists. Here's our most recent one.

Mimi Tachikawa's list of the Top Ten Hottest Guys with comments by Sora Takenouchi

(A/N: actually compiled by theladyknight and blondie121147)

1) _Koushiro Izumi_: sophomore (Strongly disagree. Her boyfriend and definitely not my type! Koushiro's a nice guy, really, but I don't think he'll ever be on my top ten list!)

2) _Chad Michael Murray_: One Tree Hill (Hell Yeah! Nice body, nice hair, nice eyes, great actor, incredibly talented…need I say more?)

3) _Benjamin McKenzie_: The OC (Agree…Another obvious choice for the list.)

4) _Justin Timberlake_: singer (Disagree. Maybe back when he had the curls and back in the day of N'SYNC, but I'm gonna have to say no. He's definitely not on my list.)

5) _Josh Hartnett_: 40 Days, 40 Nights (Agree! Fantastic actor, incredibly hot in all his movies, what's not to like!)

6) _Jacob Richards_: sophomore (Strongly agree! Only one of the hottest guys on the planet. Unfortunately going out with one of the evilest witches on the planet…)

7) _Ryan Cabrera_: singer (Agree. i LOVE Ryan Cabrera! He's got looks and talent…what a great guy.)

8) _Vigo Mortenson_: Aragon in Lord of the Rings (Disagree…he's okay but Orlando Bloom's hotter and younger. I never knew Mimi thought he was hot…I guess I learned something new today!)

9) _Ryan Seacreast_: American Idol host (Disagree…he's certainly good-looking but doesn't make my top 10 list. He might have made it a couple of years ago but not anymore…)

10) _Paul Walker_: The Fast and the Furious (Hott! Deserves recognition on my top 10 list!)

Looking at the list I guess I agree with over half of them but she forgot a few: Yamato Ishida (that's an obvious blunder on her part), Adam Brody (The OC), Tom Welling (Smallville), and Orlando Bloomamong a few others.

These lists are so much fun to make, and they keep us entertained so well. They are always a highlight of my day. Uh oh, the principal's coming. Seems like one of the guys finally made our teacher cry. Later!

**Saturday October 13  
My room**

Well, I just got off the phone with Mrs. Ishida, Takeru and Yamato's mother. It seems young Takeru had a killer algebra test on Thursday, and though we both thought he understood it, the results said otherwise. Mrs. Ishida told me his teacher was offering a make-up test for him on Monday, and he really could use my help studying.

I checked with mom who said it was no problem. She had a date. Okay, that's scary to think about. Almost as scary as thinking about my dad and…never mind, I won't go there. Mr. Reynolds was taking her to some fancy restaurant and then out dancing. Breathe, Sora, breathe. None of your classmates go out dancing to a ballroom. They won't notice.

So, here I am now, throwing a few things in my backpack including this, ready to head over to the Ishida's. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway. It beats me sitting around here wishing Monday would come faster along with my father. Besides, there might be a chance that Yamato will be there...Shit, I'm going to be late if I don't go. I'll write about this adventure later…

A/N: What'd you think? I won't know if you don't review! Next chapter along with an unexpected snowstorm that leaves Sora stranded at the Ishida's with a couple of people (I wonder who they could be…), Sora also finds out the reason her father comes…not to mention receives a little life altering news from him in the process. Please review!


	4. Of Snowstorms Truth or Dare, and Surpris...

I'm What

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or The Princess Diaries

A/N: Here's chapter 4. Just to restate, Sora's character is based off of her own from Digimon and also Mia Thermopolis's from The Princess Diaries…so there's a reason she may be out of character. Sora's father has arrived in this chapter. Please review and thanks to everyone who does.

**_Raine189:_**_ Thanks for all the reviews. Yeah, the schedule kind of is based off my school, though it's being changed for the worse for this year. And also the books are written as a diary, so I thought I'd stick to that._

**_Dragongirl18:_**_ I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!_

**_AnnMari123:_**_ Thanks! The books are pretty good and the movie's not bad either!_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ Thank you. I hope ur arm doesn't hurt anymore…_

**_Crazyamzy: _**_Yeah, I could see Mimi doing something like this—that's one of the things the girls in the book do. _

Chapter 4: Of Snowstorms, Truth-or-Dare, and Surprises

**Sunday October 14  
My Room**

To say my tutoring session at the Ishida's was one of the best times in my entire sixteen years would be an understatement. A very big understatement. I left my place at 6:25. It takes me a whole two minutes to walk out the door, across the street and into their apartment so I knew I'd get there with plenty of time to spare.

However, the outside conditions and temperatures definitely were not what I was expecting. I held out my hand and looked to the sky as gigantic snowflakes came falling down on downtown Chicago and me. I had remembered hearing the weatherman say there would be a chance for some snow today, but I never really believed he would be right.

I know, snow in mid October, something that rarely ever happens this time of year is pretty hard to believe.But recently we've been experiencing a very cold spell, particularly in the evenings and at night. Snow had been predicted everyday, and it seems today it finally decided to do that. The sidewalk was already covered in quite the amount, and it appeared more was coming down.

I arrived at the Ishida's front door precisely at 6:30. Mrs. Ishida opened the door and welcomed me with a hug. "Sora, it's so good to see you again. Takeru has told me nothing but good things about the help you've given him in school, and Yamato usually has a few words to say about you too." She smiled.

Hearing her last comment, I'm sure my face looked like a cherry. Yamato talks about me? I wonder what he says? "It has been a long time. I haven't been here for a good two years."

Mrs. Ishida checked her watch. "I've got to be going. Hopefully you can help Takeru out with his algebra. He really needs to get a good grade on his make-up test. I'm meeting my husband for supper at Jacque's restaurant. You should remember where everything is, so feel free to help yourself to anything. And you can leave whenever you're done." She opened the door. "Once again, thank you so much Sora."

"It's no problem." I answered. "Have a good time, and I hope it stops snowing."

"Me too. Bye." She replied shutting the door.

I walked into the kitchen to find Takeru sitting at the table with his algebra materials in front of him. "Hey Sora."

"Hey Takeru. What happened? I though you understood everything we had gone over."

"I thought I had too, but I got the test back, and let's just say it wasn't pretty."

I smiled sympathetically. "Let's try it again." Takeru and I began going over the chapter he needed to relearn. His problem became evident when I opened his notebook to check the notes he'd been taking in class.

Takeru flushed bright crimson as I read the words, _Takeru loves Hikari. Takeru &Hikari equals love. _And_ Hikari Ishida._

"No wonder you did so horrible on your last test, Takeru. This is what you've been concentrating on the whole time."

"I try not to, I really do, but I just can't help myself."

Smiling knowingly, I put a hand on his shoulder. "Then maybe you should do something about it."

"She probably doesn't like me…" he trailed off. God, boys are so dense when it comes to girls.

That set me off laughing. "Believe me, you don't need to worry about that." I answered giving the blond a wink. His face immediately lit up with excitement.

"Okay then, maybe we should celebrate by…" his face blanched as he remembered what we'd been talking about earlier, "getting back to Algebra."

I laughed again and twenty-five minutes later, we had finished the last of the chapter and were positive he understood everything. While putting his books back in his bag, Takeru stopped at the window. "Holy shit! Look, Sora!"

I rushed over to the window and my mouth fell down at the sight. It was completely white outside, and the window was almost covered in a very thick layer of snow. We could barely see out it. "Oh my Lord."

"You're telling me!" A voice exclaimed as we heard the door slam. Takeru and I turned our gaze to the door to see three people covered in snow and beginning to resemble snowmen.

Underneath all the snow, however, I saw some large spiky brown hair sticking up from one of the individuals and a flash of blond from another. "Taichi? Yamato?" I asked hesitantly.

"Don't forget about me!" piped the youngest of the three snowmen.

"Hikari!" Takeru exclaimed, earning a snicker from the two older boys. "What are you doing here."

"I live here, dork." Yamato kidded as he invited the other two in, cranking up the heat. "Seriously, squirt, Taichi and I were hanging out at the arcade and then picked Hikari up from one of her friend's house. We didn't realize how bad it was outside until we tried moving my car. This was the closest place so basically we're stuck here until the snow stops."

He, Hikari, and Taichi all took off their soaked coats, gloves and hats, looking remarkably dry and comfortable. The phone rang, interrupting our discussion. "Ishidas." Takeru answered. "Yeah, Mom. You are, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Yeah, Yama's here, so are Sora, Taichi, and Hikari. We will Mom." Takeru sighed. "Of course. Yeah, yeah, uh huh. Bye mom." He hung up the phone, shaking his head.

"What'd Mom want?" Yamato asked.

"She and Dad are stuck at Jacque's. No one is being let out due to the storm. According to the news, we're in the middle of this big storm right now. About everything is closed up. The three of you," he said indicating the two Yagamis and myself, "aren't supposed to leave. You're also supposed to call your parents, and let them know you're spending the night here and that you're out of harm's way. And Yamato, you're supposed to gather up blankets, flashlights, and other supplies. Mom thinks the power's going to go out."

Hikari reached for the phone and dialed her house. While she began talking to her mom, Taichilet out a laugh. "Come on. It's one thing for us to get a freak snowstorm, but the power going off..."

"Well, it's not really a freak snowstorm." I added. "They've been predicting some snow for quite some time. And it's been really cold out for the past week."

"But still…" Taichi began.

"Ignore him," Yamato spoke up stepping toward us and smiling at me. "In typical Taichi fashion, he has no idea what he's talking about."

"Hey!" Taichi injected. "As I was saying before, it's not like the lights are going to go out…" unfortunately he spoke too soon. "What the hell!" Taichi shrieked, and though I couldn't see him, I heard a loud noise.

"Ugh, big brother get off me!" Hikari exclaimed as another loud sound could be heard. We all assumed she had thrown Taichi on the floor.

I felt a hand grab mine and squeeze it. "Sora?" Yamato questioned.

"Yeah." I whispered back. Okay, maybe it's a good thing the power's out, and no one can she how red my face is!

"Guys," Yamato began, "let's split up and gather up some supplies. I have a feeling this will be an interesting night. Takeru, I want you, Hikari, and Taichi to gather up some blankets since you're closest to the bedrooms and living room. Sora and I will get candles and flashlights. Let's all meet back in the living room when we've got everything." The others murmured yes, and Yamato kept my hand in his, leading me in the direction of their closet.

We walked in silence. I felt stupid, I mean seriously, here I am, a lowly sophomore, nothing special walking hand in hand with one of the most popular seniors. How shallow does that sound? Wanting to break the ice, I finally decided on a topic. "I never expected we'd get this much snow."

"You're telling me. But I am guessing tonight will definitely be interesting." He suddenly laughed. "Well, interesting may be too light of a word for the situation." We reached the closet after only bumping into one thing, and Yamato managed to get the door open. "If I remember right, there are flashlights and candles around here somewhere." Yamato reached around on one of the shelves and suddenly grabbed something. He held it under his chin and with a click, his face was illuminated.

He grinned at me. "This should make things easier." I managed to respond though his eyes almost put me in a trance.

Together with the help of the flashlight, we found the candles, matches, and two other flashlights to take back to the others. As we walked by the kitchen and I looked the refrigerator, something hit me. "Yamato, what are we going to do about the frozen food and the stuff in there?"

"Damn it. I completely forgot about it. Guess we're going to have to eat it." He smirked. "It won't last us more than an hour with Taichi around." Yamato and I went through the refrigerator and freezer, finding the food and drinks the five of us would need to consume so they wouldn't spoil. Amongour choices of actually edible food were some chocolate milk, leftover lasagna, yogurt, leftover pizza, some browned meat, Popsicles, and best of all: three tubs of ice cream, one of chocolate chip cookie dough, the next of chocolate marshmallow, and the last full of mint chocolate chip.

"Don't even begin to ask why we have so much ice cream." Yamato said, shaking his head. "It's a long story." We were about to walk into the living room when the gorgeous blond got an idea. "Wanna help me scare the living shit out of Taichi?"

I grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

A minute later, the two of us were quietly tiptoeing into the living room where the others were waiting for us. Yamato shut off the flashlight and took my hand again, guiding me through so we wouldn't hit any chairs or people, spoiling his little plan. Taichi, we had realized before, was sitting in their recliner trying to get Takeru and Hikari to laugh at his joke, but from what I heard of it, he'd be lucky if anyone would want to laugh at the stupid joke.

Yamato let go of my hand as we each stood on one side of the recliner, holding onto one flashlight apiece. At the same time, we leapt in front of Taichi and turned on our flashlights, which were held under our chins, and shouted "Boo!"

Taichi screamed and leaped into the air over the back of the chair. Yamato and I burst into laughter, soon joined by Takeru and Hikari. Once he realized it was only us, Taichi finally managed to keep himself from having a heart attack. "Boy Yagami, you may want to consider quitting soccer and joining the track team." Yamato roared.

"That or gymnastics." I laughed. We somehow got our wits back and handed out candles, lighting them and placing them throughout the room. "The food's served." I announced pulling out the food Yamato and I had stuffed into a plastic sack in order to keep it out of our way.

Just like the oldest blond had promised, after an hour there was hardly any food left. Taichi had consumed a good half of it while the other four of us split the rest. Though it was cold, the ice cream definitely was the best part. "What now?" Hikari asked, checking her watch now that we could finally see. "It's just about 9:00. We need something to do."

"I'll tell us a story!" Taichi exclaimed. "I know this really, really good one." The rest of us all sighed in unison. The other three had all been subject to Taichi's storytelling, and I had heard rumors of it from Hikari...

An hour later I yawned as Taichi finally got to the conclusion of his story. "And that is why, to this day, you should never ever cross a poodle with an alligator."

"Where did he come up with that?" I asked Hikari who was sitting next to me. We were in a circle. Hikari was next to me, Taichi was on her right, then came Yamato, Takeru, and finally me.

"I'm afraid to ask." She responded shaking her head. We looked over at the two blondes who it appeared had finally woken up from the nap they had started five minutes into the story. "We need something better to do. I know!" Hikari exclaimed. "Let's play truth or dare!"

"Alright." Taichi grumbled. Takeru and I both nodded in agreement. Truth or dare sounded better than listening to Taichi explain the cross-breeding tactics of poodles and alligators.

"I'm game." Yamato responded.

"Go ahead and start us off, Hikari." Her brother said.

"Wait a minute." I interrupted. "We need to establish some ground rules. Number one, nothing illegal. Number two, you can't ask the person who asked you, and number three, we'll go two times each because you boys have never played with Hikari. She can be very dangerous on the dares, and you can decide after two times if you still want to play."

"Agreed." Taichi said. "Let's go."

Hikari smiled. "Sora, truth or dare?"

I knew she would choose me. Her dares were usually pretty embarrassing so I decided to play it safe. "Truth."

"Most embarrassing moment."

"When I was twelve, I was eating lunch with my grandma and dad at my dad's summer home in the Bahamas and some friends of my grandma were there. One of my Grams' friends was really fat, and I made the mistake of asking her when the baby was due. Oh my God, I got into so much trouble for that!"

"You are so lucky, Sora." Takeru said jealously. "Your dad owns his own home in the Bahamas. All our dad owns is a cabin on the lake."

"It's not that luxurious. His house on Prince Philippe's Isle is magnificent, though I've never seen it." I admitted.

"You've never been to your father's home?" Taichi asked.

"No." I responded. "Every summer when I visit we spend it at our house in the Bahamas. Even then I hardly see my dad; he's usually away on business."

Hikari spoke up. "What's your dad do anyway?"

"Something with the government. I don't know exactly."

Yamato laughed. "The way you talk, it sounds like your dad is king or something." He paused. "And that would make you a princess."

I laughed too. "Don't you think my own dad would tell me if he was king? And besides, I could never be princess. I'm not pretty. Taichi, truth or dare?"

"Dare me!" he exclaimed boldly. I walked out to the kitchen and grabbed Mrs. Ishida's low fat banana yogurt, her soymilk, and the head of broccoli Yamato and I had left to spoil in the refrigerator.

"Eat this, dipped in this." I said, tearing the milk carton so I could pour the yogurt in. Taichi gulped and broke off a piece of broccoli. He hesitated at first and then ate it. Surprisingly, he grabbed some more broccoli, and five minutes later everything was gone.

"That was pretty good." He admitted.

The rest of us gasped. "You mean you actually liked it?" Hikari questioned.

"What's not to like? Banana yogurt, good! Soymilk, good! And broccoli…not bad! I'm definitely going to have to remember the recipe! Truth or dare, Hikari."

"Truth."

"What's the biggest lie you ever told Mom and Dad?"

Hikari flushed. "That would be the time when Mrs. White babysat us, and I kind of flushed her purse down the toilet but told Mom and Dad you did it."

"Is that why I was grounded and had to go without dessert for two weeks?" Taichi exploded. Hikari smiled meekly. "That was the worst two weeks of my life—no dessert!"

"Um, Yamato, truth or dare?"

"Truth." He answered remembering what I'd said earlier.

"If it was the end of the world and there were only two humans alive, you and someone else from this room, who would it be?"

Yamato looked pensive. "Not Taichi, he'd be too annoying. Sorry, Hikari, but you're out too. Takeru would be too lovesick…" he trailed off giving his brother a cheeky grin, "I'd have to say Sora. Yep, I get along with Sora, and she'd definitely be better to look at everyday than Taichi or Takeru."

"Not to mention you two would be able to repopulate the planet…" Taichi trailed off, only to be hit by a pillow by both Yamato and I. He picked me! Oh my God; I bet he was just being nice…

"Keru, truth or dare."

"Truth." Taichi coughed, and the word wimp could be heard.

"Tell Hikari how you really feel about her."

Takeru gulped, and he knew he couldn't get out of it. He turned to face her and said very clearly. "I like you a lot, Hikari. Taichi, truth or dare."

"Dare."

"Put on one of my mom's nightgowns and sing Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'." (A/N: Not mine!)

Taichi turned a very unusual shade of purple but nonetheless, got the nightgown on and got up, torturing us all with his singing. That was a laugh. Taichi then dared Yamato to sing D12's 'My Band' (A/N: Not mine either!), Yamato's least favorite song.

Yamato made Hikari tell Takeru she was crazy about him, too, and then Hikari dared her new boyfriend to take her to a chic flick next weekend. Then came my last turn. "Truth or dare, Sora." Takeru asked.

"Dare." I decided though that was a BIG mistake. "I dare you to sit on my brother's lap until the power comes back on." The other three all laughed as I, hoping I wasn't blushing too badly, got up and after getting the okay from Yamato, sat down on his lap.

Hikari yawned and rested her head against Takeru. "I'm tired, guys. Let's call it a night." We heard the sound of snores and looked over to find Taichi already fast asleep.

"Goodnight." Yamato whispered to his younger brother and younger brunette, only to find them asleep as well. "Well, goodnight then." Yamato whispered in my ear. I was about to get off his lap when he whispered, "You would make a good princess, Sora, and you are pretty enough to be one." He muttered the last part so softly I barely hard it.

I blushed bright red completely forget my plan to get off his lap. He's just being nice. I felt myself fall back into a pair of muscular arms andbreathed in a heavenly scent, sleep taking over me too.

The next morning I was the first one awake. I saw a light coming form the kitchen and realized the power was back on. I went to stand up but realized I was stuck. Looking down, Ifigured outwhy. Yamato's strong arms were wrapped tightly around me, and his head was rested against mine. I blushed again but decided to get some more sleep. I didn't mind the position we were stuck in.

Two hours late, everyone was awake and the streets were finally clear. After thanking Takeru and Yamato for letting us stay, the Yagamis and I left. When I got home, I explained to my mom where I had been and then rushed up here to write all about it. Now, I only have to wait one more day before my dad comes and reveals this "surprise".

**Monday October 15  
Bathroom of Dad's Hotel**

I think I'm gonna be sick. I don't understand how this could be possible. Dad just told me what the surprise is.

You would think a father would let his daughter know one of the most important facts about her life as soon as possible. Not my dad.

"Sora, it's good to see you." He smiled, hugging me as I walked into his very expensive hotel suite. "There's something I need to tell you."

Well it turns out there's another reason my father was so concerned about his cancer. Now he cannot, though he hasn't married or doesn't have a steady girlfriend, have any more kids. Sorry, did I say kids, I meant HEIRS! That when he broke the news to me. He is the KING of Prince Phillipe's Isle. And that makes me…a PRINCESS…

A/N: Please review!


	5. Of Revealed Secrets and Life Changes

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the Princess Diaries.

A/N: Okay, chapter 5...Sora explains how she found out everything, and there's some Soratoness at the end. There's also a bit of Spanish in here but translations are behind it.Sorry if they're wrong, I haven't had a Spanish class in over two months, but my next one is in...damn it, two weeks! Also I invented a last name for Sora's father. So, read, review and enjoy!

_**MiniMoose:** Thanks! I have no idea where I came up with the food combination other than those are three foods I figured could spoil in a refrigerator without too many people caring!_

_**blondie121147: **I don't think it is possible to cross-breed an alligator with a poodle—they just sounded like complete opposites and it sounded like something Tai would come up with. His character is so much fun to write; I get to make up a bunch of stupid odd things!_

_**crazyamzy:** Thank you! I would probably throw up too if I ate all that Tai did!_

_**SilentStalker:** Thanks, my mom usually pulls me away from the computer too. Dumb parents...LoL!_

_**sorato4eva:** Glad your arm doesn't hurt! Glad u like it!_

Chapter 5: Of Revealed Secrets and Life Changes

**Tuesday October 16 My room**

I have finally calmed myself down enough to write. Where do I start? How about the way my father brought to my knowledge my name is not Sora Takenouchi but really Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, Princess of Prince Phillipe's Isle? That's not something you tell your daughter over sandwiches and a soda. So right now at 12:30 this morning, while I'm sitting here under my covers writing by flashlight, I'm going to explain exactly how it happened...

My dad's plane touched down at 8:00 a.m. yesterday morning at O'Hara Airport. Now, on most Monday mornings, I would be sitting in Health class listening to my teacher lecture about God-knows-what, but because of the large amount of snow, school was cancelled.

Dad called half and hour after he hand landed, requesting I meet him at his uptown snazzy five-star hotel. He informed my mom, he refused to talk to me over the phone, which I think is pretty rude, his driver Antonio would pick me up at 9:00 sharp, and I must be dressed up nicely. Now, I'm a jeans and slicks kind of girl. I own a couple of skirts and dresses but rarely ever wear them. Hoping he wouldn't be too angry with me for not wearing one, I threw on my nicest pair of khaki pants and a shirt my Grams bought me last summer. I threw on my watch, and after saying goodbye to my mother and Mr. R.my story gets betterbut I'll explain that later, I walked outside, waiting for my dad's driver to pick me up.

I wasn't expecting anything too spectacular. I mean when most people come to visit Chicago or basically any place, they just get a cheap old rent-a-car that can take them from site to site without breaking down. So my mouth fell open when pulling up in front of me and stopping, was a freaking humongous black stretch limousine with the flag of Prince Phillipe's Isle dangling from the radio antenna. Wow doesn't begin to describe it. The limo shut off, and a tall beefy man climbed out of the driver's side.He, I assumed, was Antonio.

He held the door open for me yet my legs had basically turned to jelly, and my brain had shut up. My dad has lots of money, yes, I knew that, but I did not expect him to send a **limousine** to pick me up. "Vamanos, por favor! (Let's go, please!)" Antonio coughed.

"Sorry!" I apologized as I climbed into the vehicle. "Gracias!" He shut my door and walked over to the driver's door, got in, and took off. If I thought the outside was spectacular, it did not even begin to rival the interior. I sat upon plush leather seats amid coolers filled with every sort of soda imaginable, a portable DVD player along with nearly thirty DVD's, and so many more features I cannot even begin to describe.

The limo drove through Chicago's downtown, passing all the familiar spots. Five minutes later, we pulled up in front of one of the nicest hotels in town that I had never been to before. What can I say, dad never comes to visit here and quite frankly, why would I need a hotel room to stay in? If I wanted to run away from home, which I have done before but I'll not get into that story now, I would not have enough money to even tip the doorman!

Antonio put the limo in park and rushed out to open my door, "Go in, señorita. Your father awaits you." He bowed, though at the time, I didn't realize why he would; I just thought he was being nice. Antonio drove off to park the car leaving me standing on the front doorsteps with no idea what to do other than to walk into the hotel.

I should have known it wasn't going to be easy from the very start. My first obstacle happened to be the doorman. "Where are you heading, missy?" he asked as I approached the open doors.

"Oh," I answered, "I'm supposed to meet my father, Haruhiko Olivarez."

"Haruhiko Olivarez," He repeated blinking over and over again "is your father?"

I stared at the man who appeared to be in his early forties. "Yeah." I replied slowly.

The man still had his gaze on me, and it was starting to make me feel a little uncomfortable. I coughed trying to get him to look away and thankfully succeeded. "Wow..."

Wow? I scratched my head trying to understand the significance of the word. However, considering I knew absolutely nothing of my royal stature, I failed miserably.

The doorman pulled something out of his pocket that turned out to be a camera. He spotted an elderly couple and asked the wife to take our picture. "That's alright miss, isn't it?" he asked nearly loosing his hat in his excitement.

"Okay..." I replied puzzled. This guy is definitely off his rocker.

"Great. Cheese!" he exclaimed as the disposable camera flashed, and the picture was taken. The doorman hugged the camera to him like a mother would hold her child. "Thank you so much, little lady. I hope your business with your father goes well!" he exclaimed, gesturing for me to finally go through the door.

If that confrontation wasn't bad enough, next I had to deal with the very grouchy hotel manager. I stood in front of the reception desk waiting for the manager to come over. "Excuse me, miss." She answered in a snotty tone. "You must be at least eighteen to book a room, and you don't appear to be over twelve."

"I'm sixteen." I responded through clenched teeth. This girl reminded me an awful lot of Jennifer...

"Could have fooled me." The woman answered with a sneer. "Now if you would please be on your way out the door. There are other paying customers behind you." I turned around to see a line forming behind me.

Here's where my temper got the better of me. "Look, lady, I was told to meet my father here in his room so could you kindly tell me where he's staying."

"I am unauthorized to disclose that clandestine information, little girl. I hope you understood that." She smirked again as though thinking I was stupid. "Now leave."

This time it was I who smirked. "I am disinclined to acquiesce your request, lady. Check a thesaurus if the words were too big for you."

She fumed. "Why you! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call security tokick your scrawny little rear end out of this hotel forever!" she threatened.

"I'd say she has a good reason." The accented voice of Antonio boomed. The manager shrunk back, obviously knowing who he was and also apparently very afraid of him. I could see why. Antonio didn't look like someone you would want to mess with if a situation got sticky.

"Oh, Señor Antonio," she rambled, "is this girl with you because if I would have known that..."

"Silencio!" Antonio ordered. "Her father asks that she be granted permission into this hotel whenever he or her grandmother requests of her. Is that understood, ma'am?"

The manager gulped. "Yes. I'll make sure she's never bothered anytime she needs to come into the hotel. Sorry for any inconveniences."

Antonio led me to the elevator and pushed the button for the top story. Figures, my dad must have the most expensive room in the whole hotel. "So, Antonio," I started trying to make some sort of conversation. "You were pretty, uh, commanding back there. Thanks."

"It is my duty, chica, and I always do what your father commands me to."

It's a good thing I know Spanish because he keeps lapsing into it every five words or so. He seems like a serious dude. "So, do you have any nicknames, Antonio?"

"No." he responded hastily.

"Tony?"

"No."

I tried again. "Anthony?"

"No."

"Err, Ton?" He shook his head.

"Tonio?"

"No."

"Yo?" I tried. This dude appears to be a little dull.

"Yo?" he repeated. I flushed; I didn't think it sounded that stupid. "Antonio is what I go by." He proclaimed as the elevator finally reached its destination. "Venga, su padre tiene que dirigirse a usted. (Come, your father has to talk with you.)"

Antonio knocked once before opening the door to my father's suite. He held the door open for me before giving a bow to my father. "Su hija (your daughter)," he stood up and my father, decked out in this really regal ensemble I had never seen him wear before. Antonio turned to me and bowed. "Princesa" He proclaimed before leaving the room and shutting the door so we would not be disturbed.

I walked over to my father. "Why to Antonio just call me princess?"

Dad chose to ignore the comment and went on about greeting me. "Sora, it's good to see you." He smiled, hugging me. "There's something I need to tell you." I studied my father carefully. Obviously there is something he needs to tell me; otherwise he would have flown thousands of miles and refused to talk to me over the phone! Do I seem a bit hysterical; I wonder why! "I think you had better sit down." He added, motioning to a chair.

"¿Pap�, what's going on?"

My father remained standing and began to pace around the chair I was occupying. "Sora, am I correct to assume your mother recently informed you of my bout with cancer." I nodded so as not to interrupt him. "Well, being that it was in the place that it was and considering I had to get the cancerous section removed..."he trailed off as his face turned bright crimson, but I really couldn't blame him, "what I'm trying to say is I am no longer able to have children."

"You're not getting married are you?" I couldn't keep myself from interjecting.

"No!" Dad exclaimed quickly. "Please Sora, let me finish. Don't interrupt." I gave him another nod to signify that I understood. "As I was saying, if I ever chose to get married, which at the moment does not appear will happen anytime in the near-distant future, you are my lone offspring and lone heir."

"Heir?" I covered my mouth. "Sorry." Offspring is one thing, but heir? Where's he going with this?

"When I get old and unable to fulfill my job duties, you will be the one to take over for me."

I gave my dad a quizzical look. "Um dad, that's touching and all, but what are you getting at exactly. You've never told me your job. About the only thing I know about Haruhiko Olivarez is that he is very rich and does something in the government."

My father looked uncomfortable and bit his lip, a sure sign something was up. "Actually, hija, my name is not Haruhiko Olivarez." This is some sick joke. Some twisted prank my parents decided to pull on me; that's it. Of course his name is Haruhiko Olivarez, what else would it be? "My name is Santo Ricardo Haruhiko Olivarez, King of Prince Phillipe's Isle. And with that said, hija, it is time to tell you who you are and who you have been your whole life: Sora Isabel Anamarí a Takenouchi Olivarez, Princess of Prince Phillipe's Isle." He paused, letting me soak it in. His whole 'no talk' policy flew right out the window.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN I'M A PRINCESS?" I roared loud enough for people down the block to hear.

"Language, Sora, language." That was something my father always chided me about. But was I in a mood to listen to him; hell no!

"This is all some kind of sick joke, that's what it is. Well, you know what Dad, I'M NOT LAUGHING. Why don't you just take back the whole thing right now?"

Papá had finally sat down across from me and looked up at me with wide eyes. "No, hija, es verdad (no daughter it is true). I am not jesting with you. You are what you were born to be, princess and heir to the throne of Prince Phillipe's Isle."

"If I'm princess, why didn't you tell me sooner? I'm sixteen, damn it! You mean to tell me you have been hiding this secret for sixteen years? Does Mom know?" My dad only nodded which added more fuel to my already dangerous fiery mood. "What the hell was your reason for not telling me. I cannot believe this! Everyone I came into contact with at the hotel knew I was a princess YET I DIDN'T! HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY THAT?"

My dad cringed at my raging anger. "Sora, please, sit back down, and I'll answer all of your questions. When I'm finished, I'll give time to scream and holler and bicker, whatever you feel like, at me. Now please sit down."

To this moment I'm still surprised I actually did what my father asked me to. "Fine." I huffed, folding my arms.

"Okay Sora, your mother and I have kept this from you for so long because after we split, she and I both assumed I would get married and have other children who would eventually become the king or queen of the island. We wanted to keep you out of the limelight. Just because I didn't claim you as my heir doesn't mean I love you any less. I have wanted to tell you, just so you wouldn't be left out in the dark forever, but your mother and I agreed we wouldn't inform you until you were eighteen. We thought it was for the best. The people at the hotel know I am the king but must have assumed you were a princess upon learning I am your father."

"But still..." I forgot his warning and interrupted.

Dad held up a hand and gave me a warning glance. "Sora, it was so hard to not let it slip every time I saw you, but it had to be done. I'm going to be staying in town for the next week and a half and would seriously like you to consider your new position. You do not have to make your decision now."

"What do you mean?" I asked suddenly, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Because I don't want to force you into something you don't want to do, I'm offering you to abdicate your role as Princess."

I stared at him dumbfounded. "You would let me do that, Pap�?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "Sora, I love you more than you know. I would never want you to do, or be forced into doing something you don't want to. But I would like you to think about this carefully, and in the end I know you'll make the best choice." He stood up. "I have to attend to some business in the next ten minutes. Antonio will drive you home and anywhere else you need to go. Tell your mother I say hello, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Adios, Papá." I said, hugging my father with a new sense of respect for him.

"Adios, mi princesa pequeña (Bye my little princess). Oh, Sora, there is one more thing I ask of you: do not let anyone know you are a princess. They will most likely think you are lying or will immediately spread it around, which is last thing we want to happen."

"I understand." He smiled at me before giving me one last hug and opening the door. Antonio immediately approached and after receiving his instructions, beckoned me to follow him.

On our way out we passed the bitchy manager and overenthusiastic doorman, finally reaching the limousine. Antonio and I rode in silence all the way to my apartment. "Thanks, Yo." I sighed as he opened the door for me and I ignored his correction, _it's Antonio._

The rest of my morning and afternoon, after a much similar debate with my mother, was spent in my room wallowing in self-pity, not feeling able to write my feelings in here. At 7:30 my mom left for her date with Mr. R., though she had seen plenty of him over the past few days. When I got home from the Ishidas, I found Mr. R. on the couch with his boxers on! EWWW! He had slept over "on the couch" according to my mom because they were snowed in after coming back here after ballroom dancing. I had blocked that thought from my head and hadn't remembered until now.

With all the traumatic issues I had faced today, I had every intention of taking a nice hot bubble bath. In fact, that is exactly what I did. I had the wholeplace to myself and was going to take advantage of the silence to get rid of my horribly large migraine. I definitely feel overwhelmed and exhausted.

Unfortunately, someone decided to interrupt my one moment of sanity in a crazy day. I wrapped myself in a gigantic towel figuring it was Meems, who had mentioned she might stop by. But it wasn't Mimi.

My face turned bright red, and I clutched the towel around me tighter as I looked up into a pair of gorgeous eyes. "Y-Y-Ya-Yamato." I stuttered, "What are you doing here?"

Yamato's eyes slowly trailed up and down me before he turned away looking as red in the face as me. "Sor!"

"Um, come in. I'm gonna go change." I whispered before dashing off to my room to throw on my blue pj pants and white camisole. Oh my God, what is he doing here?

I walked into the living room where Yamato was sitting on the sofa. "I'm sorry." I began as I sat down across from him on the floor.

He held up his hand. "Don't be. It's my fault. I interrupted you."

"I've just had a very stressful day."

Yamato grinned his heart-melting smile at me. "Sounds like you could use a backrub—takes all the stress away, 100 guaranteed or else." He answered, getting up and walking over to me.

I blushed before giving a small nod. I have to be dreaming. As Yamato's strong hands gently massaged my upper back, I pinched myself. Ouch, it's not a dream! "You're pretty tense, Sora.You wantto tell me what's wrong?"

I melted into his relaxing touch. "As long as you promise not to tell anyone."

"I'll take it to the grave." He joked. "Seriously, though, I won't tell anyone." I launched into the story of my mom dating my MA teacher, the fact my dad was in town, and the fact he had left me with some serious things to think about. "How serious?" Yamato asked fifteen minutes later still massaging my back.

"Life-altering and sworn to secrecy serious." I responded as he finished. "Wow, Yamato, I do feel a lot better."

"That's good." He responded. "Though if the results weren't 100 up to your expectations I would have to find some way to make it up to you..."

Oh my God; was he hinting at something? He couldn't be trying to ask me out. NO WAY! "Oh really," I managed.

"Yeah," he answered looking down at me. He turned me around to face him. My foot stepped on something, stopping Yamato from saying whatever it was he was going to. "Oh, there's the reason I came over here in the first place." He said gesturing to the notebook I had stepped on. "You left that at my place."

"Thanks." I responded dumbly.

Yamato offered his hand to me as he stood up. "I'd better head back. Mom and Dad'll be wondering what's taking me so long." I reached for his hand suddenly feeling very dizzy. Yamato caught me as I began to fall. "Sora! You're burning up; are you sure you're okay?" he asked as he felt my forehead.

"I think I'm just a little overwhelmed and tired from everything that's been going on."

"That sounds pretty reasonable. What you need is some sleep. Can you walk?" he questioned. I nodded and began to take a step before feeling dizzy once again and collapsing back into his arms. "I take that as a no." he chuckled.

The next thing I knew my arms were wrapped around his neck as he picked me up. "Just direct me." My head leaned back against his chest, and I felt my face heat up more than it already was.

I pointed the way as he pushed the door open to my room and turned the light on. I sighed, very happy there were no dirty clothes, particularly undergarments on the floor. Yamato carried me over to the bed and pulled back the covers, placing me under them, tucking me in.

"Here you go. Now get some sleep. You're worn out."

"Thanks." I whispered back as he brushed my bangs away from my face and pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked trying to sit up, only to be pushed back down.

He smiled at me. "Calling my parents to tell them I'll be late. I'm not leaving till your mom's back." I blushed once again.

"You don't have to."

"Sor, you know as well as I do that once I set my mind to something, I usually don't change it."

I smiled at him and shut my eyes in defeat, falling into a peaceful slumber. I awoke at 12:00a.m. to find Yamato gone and note with the words—Get better soon. See you at school tomorrow, Yama.

Though knowing I should've been sleeping, I now had plenty of inspiration and was in the mood to write everything down in here...

A/N: It's long again, I'm sorry...I've got a bad habit of that, don't I. Oh well, you know the drill, please review!


	6. Of Conclusions and Group Therapy

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, the Princess Diaries, or any of the TV shows mentioned.

A/N: Chapter 6, Sora figures out her answer, we learn about PPI (Prince Phillipe's Isle),Taichi's odd obsession is revealed, and of course some Soratoness. Thank you to everyone who reviews and please read, review, and enjoy!

_**Yama-sama:** Thanks!_

_**violet eyes rika:** Thanks, I hope you like the books!_

_**Armitage:** warm fuzzy feeling...understandable hehehe!_

_**Aino Yuy aka Usagi-Hater:** Princess lessons are on the horizon...after Sora's decides if she wants to be a princess or not. And I was thinking about having her tell Yamato too but decided against it. Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad your back in a Sorato mood!_

_**sorato4eva:** long is not always good...especially in school when my English papers are always like four pages long, and everyone else's are at one page! Glad you like it!_

Chapter 6: Of Conclusions and Group Therapy

**Tuesday October 16  
Living Room**

I woke up after getting a few hours of sleep to see another note lying beside my bed. This one was from my mom…

_Sora, honey, Yamato told me what happened when I got home last night. I called your school and told them you were sick. Go ahead and go back to sleep or do whatever else you feel like doing. Your father left a number in case you want to reach him or Antonio. I know you're going to have a lot of things to think about, but I want you to know I respect whatever decision you make. Love you, Mom_

How awesome is my mom! I'm so happy she's not making me go to school today. I looked over at the clock and noticed school would be starting pretty soon. I would have been late if I did have to go. It will be nice to spend today relaxing, staying in my pajamas watching soap operas and trashy talk shows instead of sitting in a class, bored out of my mind.

The more I think about it, the more I've come to believe my life belongs on one of those talk shows. I can see it now, my mother, father, and I all sitting in chairs, trying to peacefully come to a decision on _Ricki Lake_ or better yet trying to rip each other's head off on _Jerry Springer._ But I don't think that's exactly the route we should take or my parents would want to take. This whole decision really is up to me to choose, no one else. No matter how much they want me to choose them and the life they offer, in the end it comes down to me. Being a princess is a huge jump from my normal everyday life. Maybe I should investigate the reasons for and against it.

Pro Accepting the Duty of Princess

1. Great benefits—in the lunchroom the seniors get to budge and cut, but as a princess, I'd get to better things than runny spaghetti first, such as movie openings, new restaurants, and the works.

2. Personal service—it would be so awesome to never ever have to clean up my own room again; I'd have a maid!

3. Connections—I'd get to meet some of the hottest celebrities and most prominent figures in the government, most likely spending time with them at charity balls and such.

4. Making a Difference—how cheesy does that sound, but I guess it's true. As princess, I would have the ability to make a difference in this world.

5. Backup: Jennifer Jones would so not bother me ever again if I threatened her with both PPI's army and navy.

6. Dad—I would actually get to see my father more than just over summer vacation or the occasional school break. That would definitely be a plus.

7. Residence—how cool would it be to live in a palace? And better yet, I'd actually be able to afford to let my friends come visit it me. A sleepover in a palace, that's something you only read about it books or see in movies!

Con Accepting the Duty of Princess

1. No privacy—The paparazzi would never leave me alone. It just seems like they make it their mission to ruin the lives of celebrities andpolitical and royal figures.

2. Residence—I would have to move. I've lived in Chicago my whole life; I'm a Midwest girl at heart. Almost everything I know is here.

3. Friends—If I was to become Princess, how exactly would my friends react to this? I don't want them to walk around, bowing and curtsying and all that crap. Things just wouldn't be normal.

4. Public eye—as Princess the people would depend on me to do things. When Mimi and Koushiro went on their little "Hollywood controls everything" rant, I thought nothing of it. But now I guess everyone would be watching me and talking about me. I don't want people just to buy something because Princess Sora wore it.

5. Description—I am one of the least likeliest people to fit the description of a princess. All princesses and queens are beautiful poised women, yet I don't fit that character trait even though Yamato seems to think I'd make a great princess.

6. Guys—Okay, it's not like I'd be able to get with Yamato or Jacob Richards, sigh, as much as I could wish, but there are plenty other hot guys here. As a royal teenager who would my father let me date or go out with?

7. Mom—my mom is probably the strongest woman I know. She needs me to look out for her and keep her company when…ew…Mr. R. isn't.

There we go. I'm deadlocked between the two. I don't know which one to choose. I have so many questions about what would happen if I decided to accept my role. Again, the biggest is about how my relationship with my parents will be affected. I've lived with my mom my whole life and see my dad occasionally, but depending on what choice I make, could end up hurting one or both.

And I guess there's the whole issue that I've never really been to Prince Phillipe's Isle. Isn't it a little odd my dad wants me to rule there when the only part of the Isle I've set foot on was the beach by Grams' beach house? Time for some more research. I logged onto the Internet and decided to go from there. Funny, in my sixteen years that I've been alive I've never run a search to learn a little about the island my father lives on or anything about it. Even when I did my project about PPI for school last year, none of the material really stuck with me other than they had a king and it was a tropical island near the Bahamas.

Previously Unknown Facts about Prince Phillipe's Isle

1. Government—king, prime minister, and parliament. Obviously I know whom the king is, though I'm wondering why my father goes by the name Haruhiko instead of his real first name, Santo?

2. Population—10,287 people. Okay, so the city of Chicago is much bigger than the kingdom I may rule in the future…

3. Chief industries—Tourism, fishing, farming, manufacturing, and surprisingly mining.

4. Odds and Ends—literacy rate is at 99 percent, there are no taxes, the government is in no sort of debt, low levels of pollution, average temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit, Spanish is the official language. Overall it looks like my ancestors did a good job of ruling this place!

5. History—founded in 1498 by and named after Phillipe Chavez, the first governor of the island. He decided to add the name prince to make it more majestic, that or as I see it, he thought very highly of himself. In 1504, the inhabitants of the isle won their independence from Spain, though from what it says, on this site, the battle only lasted two days. Maybe I should ask Dad about that as well. 1634, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather Diego Olivarez became ruler, starting the line that exists today. No wonder my father wants me to keep the line going! After years of peace, there was the Civil War of 1872 where, just as America's Civil War, slavery was outlawed. In 1947, the office of prime minister was instated to insure the monarch did not have too much power. 2004, wow on December 31, New Year's Eve, it's the 500th birthday of the nation, cool!

That gives me more to think about. I just don't know what to do though. When I first heard Dad tell me I was a princess, I thought there was no way in hell I could ever or would ever want to do it. Me, a princess? But now after really thinking about it, I'm having second thoughts.

Along with the second thoughts come doubts. There's the tiny itsy bitsy little detail of me not knowing the mannerisms of a princess or what a princess does everyday. Damn, I have problems telling apart which fork is used for salad when mom and I dine at some of the fancier restaurants in Chicago. What am I going to do when they offer me like seven forks? I'M GONNA STARVE! If I go I'm going to have to pack so much junk food and snacks—oh my God, I'm starting to sound like Taichi! Next I'm going to start telling long-winded nonsensical stories about crossbreeding of animals that are unable to interbreed.

"You've got mail!" my computer announced, snapping out of my scary daydream. Figuring it was Mom checking up on me, I opened the message. But it wasn't, and I nearly fell out my chair after reading who had sent it.

_Hey Sor, I looked for you this morning, but Mimi said you're sick. I guess you were really drained last night—hope you get better soon. I need someone to keep me company in the resource room other than Taichi. Oh well, I've got to go before my teacher realizes I'm not researching good old classic novels. Get well soon! Yamato:) _

Oh my God! Yamato sent me a get-well note? Yamato actually was looking for me this morning? Yamato is concerned about me? I logged off the Internet and shut down the computer. He is such a sweet, great guy…but thinking about him reminds me all about my decision I'm trying to make. I just don't know what to do…

**Wednesday October 17  
Nurse's Office**

I have come to a conclusion about what I'm going to do. After rushing down to my 6th period class and telling my teacher I felt queasy, I dashed up to the nurse's office. Just as I expected, the nurse wasn't there, but even if she had been, she wouldn't have cared. People come in here to sleep or whenever they have a test to take. There are two beds and three chairs, so it's first come first serve. I luckily got to the room in time to grab a coveted bed.

I needed somewhere I could sort out my thoughts without being interrupted by teachers explaining stuff or anyone talking. S,o here I am now with what I think might be the answer I'm going to give my parents. This answer came in the strangest way from the person, well, actually I should say the people I least expected…

I was sitting in the resource room waiting for everyone else to come in. Mimi and Koushiro walked in arm-in-arm, and both waved at me before going off in a corner to show a few PDA's.

Yamato and Taichi then entered the room, laughing about something that had happened in an earlier class. "Glad to see you back." Yamato smiled at me.

"Thanks." I answered trying to control the color on my cheeks. He and Taichi made their way to the table I was sitting at. "Where's Takeru?"

"He's coming…I hear he's got a surprise for you Tutor Girl!" (A/N: Okay, ripped that off One Tree Hill, not mine!)

"Oh really."

Just then Takeru came sprinting into the room. "Sora, guess what? I got a 97 percent on my algebra make-up test!"

"Takeru, that's great!" I exclaimed standing up and giving him a big hug. Over his shoulder, I saw a bushy haired person, obviously Taichi, jump up and down.

"SORA SANDWICH!" he shouted loud enough for anyone outside to hear. I laughed as two thuds hit Takeru and me, assuming the thuds were Taichi and Yamato. My assumption was correct. Those two never failed at making me laugh or brighten my mood.

"Boys!" the moderator yelled, frantically walking into the room as the second bell rang. "Let Ms. Takenouchi go!"

"Sorry Ms. Lewis." They muttered in unison as we all took a seat.

"Mimi! Koushiro!" she yelled, running off to yell at the next people, who just happened to be getting a little too carried away with their affectionate behavior.

This was an everyday occurrence, and though we were all very used to it, it never ceased to amaze me. "You're not contagious or anything?" Taichi suddenly asked pulling his chair away from mine and closer to Takeru's.

I tried to hide the guilty expression lurking on my face but unfortunately Yamato caught it. "You weren't sick were you?"

I blushed. "No. I woke up and found a note from Mom that said I could stay home yesterday, and she'd cover for me."

"Lucky." Takeru said enviously.

"Yeah." Taichi poutedand after learning I had played hooky, moved his chair back. "My parents would never do that for me. Hell, they always seem to catch me when I play hooky."

Yamato laughed. "I wonder why, moron. Maybe because you order-in a bunch of fast food then leave the empty containers and pop cans sitting out for all to see!"

"I only did that a few times." He said turning red.

Takeru snorted. "Yeah, if twenty times is considered a few."

"Anyway," Taichi responded seeing as though everyone disagreed with him, "why'd she let you stay home, Sora?"

I sighed and carelessly doodled on my Music Appreciation homework I had yet to start. "I don't even know where to begin. Everything got stressful when my father showed up yesterday."

"What happened?" Takeru asked.

"It's a long story, but basically there's this big decision he needs me to make, and it's going to affect the rest of my life no matter which choice I make. I just don't know what to do. I tried everything, but I don't know what decision is best."

Yamato put a hand on my shoulder. "Is this the whole issue you're sworn to secrecy about?" I nodded.

Taichi cleared his throat. "Well, I have just the solution." We all looked up at him, my eyes being the most eager for what…er…interesting solution Tai would suggest. "Here's the plan. I saw this on _Dr. Phil _once." We all stared at him.

"What the hell!" Takeru and I exclaimed at the exact same time.

"Dude, do you need to lie down or do you think you're going to throw up?" Yamato questioned.

"I'm not sick! I just find Dr. Phil to be enlightening every once in a while. I've only watched his show when I was at home playing hooky. It's actually not that bad…you guys should really check it out."

I leaned closer to Yamato and, doing something I'm surprised I managed to do without fainting, whispered into his ear, "Does the chemistry lab keep any testosterone?"

Yamato smirked. "Unfortunately for us, I don't think so."

"Maybe we should inform the school board how much it's needed." As the blond was about to respond, Taichi clapped his hands in front of our faces.

"You two can flirt later. Just listen to my suggestion." My cheeks began to turn bright red. As I looked away from Yamato I was surprised to find his face tinted red as well.

We heard a sigh coming from outside the room. "What's my brother trying to get you guys to do now?" Hikari's voice asked. I looked at the door and smiled at her as she, after making sure Ms. Lewis wasn't watching, came into the room, pulled up a chair, and sat down between Taichi and Takeru. This was also a common occurrence in the resource room. People walked in and out as long as the moderator didn't catch them.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class, Hikari?" Taichi asked.

"English test. I told the teacher I felt sick, but it sounds like this'll be better than sitting in the nurse's office, bored out of my mind."

"He's trying to get us to do something off _Dr. Phil_." Takeru explained, snickering.

Kari didn't seem to find it weird. "At least it's not off _Oprah_. Taichi would die if that show ever got cancelled."

"Taichi, man, what IS your problem?"

The brunette boy flushed again. "Look, Oprah provides insightful information about sensitivity and the way a woman's mind works. Don't diss the lady."

"We're not." Yamato answered. "It's you we're making fun of. If you've been learning all about women, why do you not have a girlfriend?"

"I could get any girl to be my girlfriend!" Taichi boasted. "Hell, I could ask Sora out if I wanted to, but I know someone who would slaughter me before I could do that. So I'm sorry, Sora, you're not going to be getting any 'Taichi love' soon."

I laughed. "You are so full of it." Then his words hit me. "What do you mean someone would slaughter you?" Taichi gave a goofy grin.

"I thought you had some sort of plan you wanted to tell us?" Yamato injected, receiving a smirk from his best friend.

"Now you're eager to hear it, eh, Yama?" he goaded earning a death glare from the blond. "I wonder why? Maybe it was something I said…"

Takeru coughed, trying to contain his own laughter. "Yes, brother dear, please share."

He stared them both down. "Well, there's the little issue of the class being over soon. If you're going to suggest something, now would be a pretty good time."

"That's right. We eat lunch next period. We're on some screwed-up schedule today." Hikari responded.

"So Tai," I began getting us back on topic, though I was very curious why Yamato decided to change the subject, "what do you have in mind? I'm open to any thoughts, even yours!"

"I'm going to ignore that last comment." Taichi answered. "We're going to have a group therapy session. The more people, the more help we can give Sora. We'll each share a problem, and everyone will give answers to the others problems. Sora'll go last because by the time we get to her, we should be giving some good advice."

I tried not to laugh. We've got to get Taichi addicted to a new television show. "I'm game." The others, though quite reluctantly, nodded their heads.

Hikari looked around the room. "Mimi, Koushiro, come over here!" she smiled at me. "The more the merrier." Takeru explained what was going on and five minutes later, after the two had recovered from their laughing fit, our group therapy began.

"Okay people! I want each of you to tell us a problem and then let the solutions fly. Keep in mind; Sora's problem is the one we'll need to give the best advice to. I'll go first…hello, my name is Taichi." We all stared at him waiting for our crazy leader to continue. "Hello Taichi." He mocked whispered.

"Hello Taichi." We echoed. God, I feel so stupid doing this!

"My problem is that I don't know if the soccer team will go undefeated this year…"

Mimi held up a hand. "Look Taichi, you guys will either be undefeated or pretty damn close to it. The clock is ticking. We'll move onto a more important problem, like mine. I'm afraid Daddy is going totake away my credit cards! He thinks I go shopping too much!"

"He won't take them away. Next!" Takeru and Yamato both exclaimed.

Koushiro cleared his throat. "I'm worried about world hunger, inflation of gas prices, the state of the union…"

I cut him off. "Next! As concerned as I am about all those things as well, I don't think we'll be able to solve them in the next ten minutes."

"Takeru and I have the same problem." Hikari began. "Our parents think we're too young to date."

Mimi shrieked. "You two are going out? Since when? Oh never mind, tell me on Friday night. I'm having girls night out at my place; you and Sora both need to be there at 6:00. Oh, continue on with the therapy session!" she smiled as we all gave her odd looks. That's a typical Mimi response. Within the next period, everyone will know Takeru and Hikari have hooked up.

"Go on group dates." I suggested. "Make them casual enough so you can tell your parents it's just a group outing yet you can break off and hang out together alone during the dates without them knowing."

Taichi clapped. "Good job, Sora. Everyone give Sora two snaps." I rolled my eyes. Tai was getting a little too into this. "Yamato, it's your turn."

Yamato sighed. "I'm probably going to regret this. I like this girl, but I'm pretty sure she only thinks of me as a friend."

"Tell her." I responded automatically. I knew he liked someone else. Oh well, I may as well help him find happiness. "You'll never know if you don't take a chance. I bet she likes you too, Yama, but she's just afraid to tell you. You're a great guy, and she probably just is scared you don't like her that way."

"I know who she is!" Taichi exclaimed in a singsong voice.

"Me too." Takeru snickered.

Yamato glared at them and raised a fist. "Tell anyone and you're going to miss basketball season, Takeru, and you'll miss soccer season, Taichi." They both gulped and stopped their teasing. I wonder who it is?

Koushiro laughed. "Once again Sora comes through with the good advice. Maybe you'll end up solving your own problem!"

I giggled. "I've already tried that, and it didn't work." I paused and looked around at the group seated at the table. "So mainly my problem is that my dad offered me something, but I don't know what to do, whether to say yes or no. I've investigated the good and bad of each choice, but I'm locked in the middle. And this is a really big decision. Both choices are good, but I don't know which one is better."

I sat back waiting for the responses to come. And they came flying in. "Talk to your parents." Koushiro suggested.

"No, that won't work. I want to have an idea of what I'm going to do before talking to them."

Mimi's eyes lit up. "Whenever I have two cute outfits that I want but can only get one, I try and figure out which one I can get the most use out of. Try and think of the one that will most benefit you."

Surprising that was some decent bit of advice. Who knew thatclothes could provide an idea? "Try imaging how one day with the decision you make will be." Takeru suggested.

"Ask another trusted member of your family."

I shook my head. "That one won't work either. I'm kind of sworn to secrecy about the details of it."

"When I can't decide if I want the chocolate-flavored cereal or fruit-flavored cereal, I flip a coin." Guess whose suggestion that was…

Yamato decided it was his turn to speak up. "So this decision of yours is going to benefit you from both ways, right?"

"Something like that." I responded, wondering what he was getting at.

"Wel,l since either way, you're going to be content with what you end up with, try thinking about how it's going to affect the people around you and what the best thing for them is…did I help any?"

I sat looking at the wall. Others around me, why didn't I think of it? Why have I been thinking about my parents and myself while I had yet to consider the other people this would greatly affect? "Yeah, I think I know what I'm going to do. I've got to go!" I got up out of my chair and gathered my stuff. "Thanks for all the help guys. Nice idea, Taichi. I'll talk to you all later." I ran out of the room as the bell rang, completely ignoring the outbursts my friends were yelling after me.

I bolted downstairs hitting someone as I rounded the corner and dropped the books I was holding. "Sorry." The handsome voice of Jacob Richards said.

"No…no problem." I answered as he walked off. That was the first word he ever said to me! But no time to think about that.

So, now here I am after recounting my big adventure. I'm pretty sure I know what to do. Now I just have to figure out how to get out of here and let my family know…

A/N: Thoughts? To let you all know I have hardly ever seen _Oprah_ or _Dr. Phil_ and have never attended a group therapy session so I pulled everything out of my butt along with the facts about PPI. Hope it wasn't too bad. Please review!


	7. Of Heart to Hearts and Agreements

I'm What

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or the Princess Diaries.

A/N: Sorry this took a while to get out…I've got 2 weddings to go to this weekend, 40 pages to read in AP US History, relatives here, and a soccer game this weekend. But here's chapter 7 filled with plenty of soratoness…please review!

_**IzzyLovezMimi:** Thanks!_

_**Kat:** Thank you for everything...don't worry it is 100 percent a Sorato fic. You'll have to wait and see about the whole Jacob thing..._

**_Silent Stalker:_**_ School does get in the way doesn't it…we've had to watch Oprah in religion class before. It was kind of boring…_

**_Yama-sama:_**_ Your wish will be granted…I had completely forgotten about the whole pop thing. You always seem to come up with something I forget! Thank you!_

**_SoratoL.O.C.fan:_**_ The guy is pretty rich…_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ I'm glad you realized it LoL!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Glad you liked the therapy session. I tried to think of a problem for everyone but was having a little trouble…does Yama like Sora, I don't know…hehehe…_

Chapter 7: Of Heart to Hearts and Agreements

**Thursday October 18  
My Room**

Well, I think that went well. Mom and I just left Dad's hotel and everyone seems to be recovering in their own way from the news. I finally did it; I told my parents what decision I had come to. How did that happen…

I was at school, trying to figure out how I could get out without landing myself in detention. My first idea was to just casually bolt out the door in between classes, but someone would notice. Then I realized the obvious, go home sick! I'm stupid sometimes and completely miss the obvious choice. This time happens to be one of them.

The nurse finally came back into the room and I walked over to her. "I don't feel well. I think I'm going to throw up." I moaned, swaying back and forth and holding my stomach.

"Oh dear!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to take your temperature." SHIT! "She's going to know I'm faking it. I've gotta think of something fast! Think of Yamato! Think of sitting on Yamato's lap. Ooh, think of sitting on Yamato's lap, and Yamato without a shirt on! "Wow, you don't seem to have a temperature, but your face is just burning up. You'd better go home."

Yes! Damn, I knew Yamato was hot enough to make my face heat up. Hmm…Yamato without a shirt on, that's definitely not a bad image to think about.

"Just go down to the office and call your mother. I'll let one of the secretaries know you're coming."

"Thanks." I answered, slowly walking out the door. When I had turned the corner, I dashed to my locker to grab my crap and headed down to the office.

"The nurse already called me. Go ahead and call your mom." One of the secretaries said, motioning to the phone before going back to work at her desk.

I sighed. Okay, mom's at work, and I don't want to bother her. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out Antonio's number. I guess I can call him. As I reached to grab the phone, I heard my name.

I turned towards the door. "Yamato? What are you doing?" I whispered so the secretaries wouldn't hear me.

He grinned. "Fundamentals of speech class." That's right. This period Yama takes a class at one of the city's community colleges. "Though…I got a message earlier this morning that said the professor was away at his daughter's wedding—I've got the next two hours off. What are you doing?"

I coughed as the secretary looked over at me. "Line's busy." She smiled and went back to her work. "I don't feel well."

He grinned again. "Need a lift home?" My day just got a little brighter if possible.

"You don't have to…"

"Naw, I'd be happy to." I grinned before picking up the phone.

"Yeah, uh huh. Thanks, Mom. I'll meet you outside. Bye." I looked at the secretary. "Is it alright for me to wait outside for her, that way I get some fresh air?"

"Of course, dear. You just get well soon!"

I waved and walked out the door. "You are such a liar! You didn't even dial a number!" Yamato laughed, and I joined in knowing how true it was.

"Hey it got me outta school." I defended.

"So where to?" he asked as we reached his** motorcycle!** Damn, he's got everything! He's freaking hot, very smart, talented, and drives a Harley. (not mine!) What more is there to say? He's going to make some lady very lucky. How is it he has a sweet-ass car and a motorcycle…well, his parents are loaded but Yamato makes some nice money with his band.

I told him my father's address, and he let out a low whistle as he handed me a helmet. "My dad's staying there, and I need to talk to him and Mom. But Mom's at work…" Yamato held up a hand.

"Say no more. But could I interest you in some ice cream before you go, my treat."

"Ice cream sounds good…" I choked out. Ah, I get to go out with Yama; I bet he's just being nice, yet again.

He grinned his million-dollar smile at me before putting his helmet on and mountingthe bike. I climbed on behind him. "Hold on tight!" he shouted, starting it up. I wrapped my arms around his waist and could feel my face heating up again. But hello, sitting behind Yamato Ishida on a motorcycle does offer a good reason for blushing.

Five minutes later we pulled up in the parking lot of A and W (Not mine!) and discarded our helmets. "Here we are." I quite slowly unwrapped my arms so we could both climb off. We walked into the room and took a seat in one of the back booths.

"What can I get you?" a waitress asked.

"Two root beer floats?" Yamato asked looking at me. I nodded. The waitress wrote our order down and walked off. "So, for what reason were you faking sick to get out of the hell hole?"

I rested my hand on my head. "You know what we were talking about in the resource room, well, I've got to tell my parents my decision. And I couldn't wait for school to get out to do it."

"I'm not keeping you from that, am I?" Yamato asked looking very concerned.

My head shot up. "Of course, you're not!" I exclaimed. "It was really nice of you to take me here." I responded shyly.

"Like I said before, it's no problem at all! I like hanging out with you." He grinned, causing me to blush.

"Here's your floats." The waitress said. "That'll be 5.63." Yamato handed her the money, and she walked off.

"It's good to talk to you everyday. I miss those times when you were always over at our house babysitting Takeru. We had some good times." He said.

"Those were some good times. Do you remember when I was ten and ran away?" I asked as I took a sip of my float.

"How could I ever forget?" he chuckled. "Mom and Dad weren't home, and you came over crying about how your mom was going to ground you forever because you broke her lamp from France."

I blushed. "Dude, I was SO not crying!"

"Yes you were!" he insisted. "I remember it like it was yesterday. 'Yama, Keru, my mom is going to kill me. You've gotta help me!'" he said giving a sad imitation of my voice.

"What the hell! I so do not sound like that! You sounded like a cross between Taichi and Mimi!"

"Is that possible?" he asked, forgetting our other conversation for the time being.

That made me think. "Have you ever heard Mimi when she spots a pair of shoes she has to have and has to fight off a bunch of ladies for it?" He shook his head. "Well image this high-pitched I'm-gonna-scratch-your-face-off-with-my-nails-if-I-don't-get-that-pair-of-shoes scream mixed in with Taichi yelling about going two weeks without desserts. That's what you sounded like." I smirked.

Yamato glared at me, and the next thing I knew, he had flung some of his ice cream at my face. His face broke into a large grin as the ice cream dripped down my face. Picking up my spoonm I flung some ice cream back at him, hitting him in the hair. "Truce!" he shouted quickly, throwing a napkin on his hair. Yeah, this proves he is over obsessed about his baby, the hair. Though the results of his obsession make it something I and countless others don't mind looking at each and every day.

"Truce." I laughed, sticking out my hand, which he shook but didn't remove. So I didn't remove my hand either.

"Aww…they're so cute together!" one of the older waitresses said.

A little pudgy girl with a red face and pigtails looked over at us. "Mommy, is that what it's like to be in love? Cause if it is I want a guy just like him! Can I have that boy be my boyfriend, Mommy?"

"I think he's already taken honey." The mom answered while giving me a smile.

Yama and I looked at each other. Okay, that was a little weird. "No!" the girl screamed. "I want that boy to be my boyfriend. He's pretty!"

"Pretty?" I laughed, looking at Yamato. "Have you ever been called pretty before?"

"Thankfully no." he responded. "And I can't say I ever want to be called pretty again!"

"Mommy, can I go over and give the pretty boy a nice big kiss?" Yamato's face turned white.

He looked over at me. "You've gotta be freaking kidding me."

I smirked. "Aww, you're going to deny that adorable little girl the chance to kiss pretty boy?" I mocked him with the voice he had used on me earlier.

He glared as the mother and her daughter walked over to us. "Excuse me, I don't know if you were able to hear the things my daughter was saying…"

"We heard them." I answered smiling at her.

"Kiss me!" the girl demanded. Yamato shrunk back in his seat.

"Melinda, maybe you should ask this boy's girlfriend if you can kiss him." The little girl glared at me, and I could feel my face heat up. What am I supposed to do?

"Let me kiss him!" she yelled. I looked at Yamato for help. but he was giving me his puppy dog eyes. Oh no. No no no! Damn, how did I let myself get suckered into this? Wait, why am I complaining?

"Melinda, I don't want you to kiss my boyfriend. See he's my boyfriend, and I might get jealous of you. But you know what, I bet someday you'll find yourself the nicest boyfriend ever. Even better than pretty boy here." I motioned.

She looked as though she was about to cry. "Really?"

"Yeah." I answered smiling at her. "I bet he'll be the best guy in the whole world."

Melinda wiped away a tear. "Okay." Then she faced Yamato. "Kiss her then!"

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Kiss her. I want to see you kiss her NOW!" she demanded. Yama and I looked at each other and knew we didn't have a choice. OH MY GOD, I GET TO KISS YAMATO ISHIDA! Yama leaned over the table and muttering a nearly inaudible sorry, captured my lips with his. The kiss was short but very sweet. My first kiss. I got my first kiss from Yamato Ishida. Gently his lips brushed across mine until he decided to pull away.

"Awww!" the crowd made up mostly of old ladies, young mothers, and their preschool age kids all murmured in unison.

"That was so romantic!" Melinda swooned holding her hand over her heart. "I hope my first kiss is exactly like that. Thanks Red and Pretty Boy!" The mom gave us a thankful smile, and they excited the room. All the rest of the customers and help finally decided to go back to their own business.

"Thank you so so much!" Yamato whispered, taking his hand off mine, moving it instead to my cheek. "You just saved my butt there; I am eternally grateful." He said, finally removing his hand.

"It's nothing." I managed. God, I'm glad there are no mirrors around here because I probably look really stupid with red hair and a very red face. Wow, Yamato Ishida just kissed me. Never in my dreams have I ever imagined he would kiss me. Okay, completely ignore that statement, that's a big lie. But something about it brought me out of me ecstasy. He had whispered sorry before kissing me. I knew there would never be anything between the two of us. He doesn't like me that way.

"Where were we before we were interrupted?" he wondered. "Oh yeah, so you came crying into my apartment, begging for our help and we, being the nice people we are, jumped at the chance to help you."

I rolled my eyes. "Funny, I don't seem to remember it that way…the whole crying thing I mean…but do carry on with your version. I want to see what other ways you alter it." I joked.

He smirked before answering, "Anyway, you, Takeru, and I hid in the shower, hoping your mom wouldn't think to look there. Well it turns out, your mom and my parents just happened to head back to my place after their card club. Everything was going fine until Takeru accidentally turned on the shower. God, I remember Dad's face perfectly, 'A girl in the shower, can't you at least wait until you're eighteen!'"

I laughed. "I was so embarrassed, and I didn't even know what it meant!" Yamato nodded. "We really got it from them."

"I'll say. After you left, Dad sat me down and gave me the whole sex talk." He laughed. "And yet Takeru, having not being involved in the situation, didn't get into any trouble at all. He looks way too damn innocent! Mom and Dad asked him if he was involved and he flat out lied. And they bought it up. How freaking pathetic is that!"

"What a great memory." I said as I finished my float.

"You said it." Yamato checked his watch. "Shit, it's already been half an hour. I'd better get you to your Dad's!"

"I never told him I was coming. He still thinks I'm in school." I answered as we walked out the door.

He handed me one of the helmets. "But you're sure I wasn't keeping you from going there? It sounds like you had something really important to tell him…"

"No it's fine!" I exclaimed. "Seriously, I have to go tell my family like the biggest decision of my life. You really helped me relax and remember what it's like to have fun and be a normal teen…that'll probably change after tomorrow." Shit!

"Huh?" Yamato said raising his eyebrow.

"It's nothing. Forget I said anything. We'd better go." Yamato looked at me, trying to figure out what's going on and what I was hiding. He finally gave up, climbed on the bike, and offered me his hand. "Thanks." I muttered but heard no response. I hope he's not mad at me.

Wrapping my arms around him, I unconsciously rested my head against his back. I wish I could tell you, Yama, I really do, but how would you react? No, even if I could tell someone, I wouldn't.

The bike pulled up to the hotel and Yama shut it off. "Here you are, miss." He said taking the helmet off my head and putting it away. "Good luck with the family, Sor." He took his helmet off as well so we could talk.

"Yama, I hope you aren't mad at me." I whispered.

He put a hand on my shoulder. "Why would I be mad at you? Of course I wish you could tell me what's up, but I respect that you're sworn to secrecy. I'm not going to be mad at you for a stupid reason like that!" My heart melted again. Damn it, he's too sweet. "That's the kind of thing you women do for what reason I do not know."

"Ishida, you'd better stop while you're ahead." I warned. He gave me his puppy dog eyes again. "Don't you remember what happened the last time you gave me that look?"

"Yeah, good old Melinda. Hope we never run into her again." I nodded. "Well go ahead and go in. Tell your Dad what you've decided." As an afterthought Yama added, "I'd like to meet him someday. He sounds like a good guy."

"He is." I bit my lower lip before, with my heart beating rapidly, reached up and gave the blond a hug. "I think he'd like you. Thanks for driving me here, Yama, and everything else."

He wrapped his arms around me, returning the hug, and brushed his lips against my ear. "Anytime, Sor. I don't let just anyone ride this baby with me. But you happen to be one of the select few. See you tomorrow!"

Blushing heavily, I let go and waved as he put the helmet on and roared off. "Hello again!" called the doorman. "Care for another picture?"

"Maybe some other time!" I brushed him off. "I've got to go." I hurried inside as fast as my legs could carry me. Another confrontation with that loser is not wanted. For Yamato, hell yeah I could spare a minute, or thirty, but for that annoying dude, nada.

"Where do you think you're going?" a snotty voice snarled.

I so do not want to put up with this now either. "Look, lady, don't I have free passage to visit my dad?"

The manager jumped. "Oh, it's you…of…of course! Go right ahead!"

Rolling my eyes, I jumped into the elevator and headed up to the highest floor. I tapped my foot impatiently as the elevator finally reached my destination. The door opened, and I walked into a big obstruction. "Yo, what's up?"

"Antonio!" he muttered. "Me llamo Antonio!" (My name is Antonio!)

"Whatever. What are you doing here?"

He put a finger to his lips. I went to protest, but he turned around and pressed his finger harder against his lips. Now, let me be the first to say when a two hundred and fifty pound Latino man with large pipes who happens to be a trained bodyguard tells you to be quiet, the choice is pretty obvious.

We approached my father's suite and Antonio knocked on the door. "Su hija, Rey Olivarez." (Your daughter, King Olivarez.)

"Sora!" he exclaimed, and I could tell by the tone of his voice that I was in for it. But the question is what he's going to yell at me for. "First off, why are you here, and secondly, why did you arrive here on the back of a motorcycle with some blond man!"

Wait…"Were you spying on me?"

"Of course not, hija! Antonio and I heard the roar of a motorcycle and looked out the window to see you getting off and hugging the boy."

"Okay, don't jump to conclusions, papá" I yelled. "He's not my secret lover or anything. I needed to talk to you as soon as possible, and Yamato offered me a ride."

"How long have you been dating this Yamato boy, and why was I not informed!"

"I'm not dating anyone! He's a friend of mine! A friend who happens to be a guy! I was at school and about to call Antonio to have him pick me up when Yamato saw me and offered me a ride!"

"So he was skipping out on class too?"

Oh my God! MEN! "He attends a college level class during that period. The professor was gone so he had the class off. He was just being nice, papá"

"I do not trust someone who drives a motorcycle!" he yelled. "And how old is he?"

"Yamato is eighteen." Whoops, that was a mistake to say. Dad was about to go on another rampage so I shouted, "He's eighteen, treasurer of the senior class, ranked third out of one hundred and ninety students…" This is easy, name Yama's good qualities. "…lead singer of a band, older brother, do you get the point?"

Dad's ears were bright red. "Does your mother know you're ridding around with this boy?" he just won't give up!

"Mom is friends with Yama! I used to babysit his brother."

"But does she know you're HUGGING him?" his resolve was weakening, but he still forced himself on.

I groaned. "Pap�, it was a friendly hug, nothing more. Yama is just a friend. There is nothing going on between the two of us. I would bet you a month's allowance that nothing ever does happen between us. And besides, won't I have to hug the children of Prince Phillipe's Isle and bond with the people?"

Dad was ready to interrupt but stopped me. "Sora, do you mean you're going to accept the throne?"

I nodded. "I would like to talk it over with you and Mom but, yes, that is what I have decided."

Dad completely forgot about his whole Yamato rant. "Oh, hija, I'm so happy!" he answered wrapping me in a hug. "Antonio, call Toshiko, por favor!"

"Sí, Rey Olivarez." Antonio bowed before picking up a phone. Dad and I made small talk as Antonio instructed Mom what to do and where to meet us.

To make a long story short, for the next three hours Mom, Dad, and I debated my choice and negotiated the terms of the agreement.

The majority of details are pretty unimportant but we did agree that 1) I would spend parts of the year with both Mom and Dad; 2) I would attend all major PPI functions including the 500th birthday bash and 3) I would take princess lessons with Grams.

That last term kind of scares me. I really am afraid of what Grandma has in store. I'll wait to see what develops.

**Friday October 19  
Spanish II**

Copy of the Takenouchi-Olivarez Agreement

_I, Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, here in writing agree to fulfill all the duties of Crown Princess of Prince Phillipe's Isle. By coming to terms with this agreement, I, the undersigned, officially accept the role of queen upon the fifieth birthday of my father, King Santo Ricardo Haruhiko Olivarez. This agreement, formed on the 18 of October comes into effect immediately._

_I, Santo Ricardo Haruhiko Olivarez, King of Prince Phillipe's Isle, here in writing officially recognize my daughter, Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, as sole heir to the throne of my country. By accepting the terms of this agreement, upon my departure from the throne, my daughter will fulfill the role as queen of the Isle. This agreement, formed on the 18 of October comes into effect immediately._

So that's it. Officially now I'm Sora Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, Crown Princess of Prince Phillipe's Isle. I wonder how I have to sign my name from now on…

A/N: Thoughts? Please review. I'll update when I get a chance!


	8. Of Girls and Grandmothers

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!

_**Inconnu:** I'll see what I can do...Jacob will appear a little more in the story, but Sora's character isn't going to react to him the way Anne Hathaway did in the movie! Glad you like it!_

**_Armitage:_**_ I think the name's got a ring to it…_

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ greatness, I love that word. LoL. Yeah, I don't even remember why we watched Oprah during religion, but it was really boring. Though it did get us out of taking notes and listening to a lecture…_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ I hate little snotty kids too! That kiss seemed to set the little girl straight though. Maybe she should appear more often then Sora and Yama would have to kiss a lot more…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Yep, I saw it a couple weeks ago. If you're confused about anything feel free to e-mail me, and I'll attempt to explain it…_

**_Yama-sama:_**_ I don't know…hehehe_

Chapter 8: Of Girls and Grandmothers

**Saturday October 20**  
**Mimi's house**

For the second weekend in a row, I am spending the night at someone's house. This time, however, there were a few differences: 1) No guys, unfortunately…2) No snowstorm, and the biggest difference, 3) I am officially Crown Princess of PPI and can't tell anyone. Thankfully we didn't play truth or dare, for more than one reason…

Right now everyone else is sleeping. It's 5:45 in the morning, and Hikari finally fell asleep. I can't sleep again this morning. My friends gave me so much to think about, and I just don't know what to do anymore.

To summarize my day at school: it was uneventful. I sat through class daydreaming about how awful these "lessons" with Grams will be. My biggest concerns are not the whole lessons themselves but my grandmother.

Let me describe Grams: prim, proper, no-nonsense, and downright evil. Okay, maybe evil is exaggerating it just a bit, but I doubt any other teenager has to put up with a grandparent like this. For as long as I can remember, she always has been like this, granted it may have come from her royal upbringing. Still, had she not been born of royal blood, I have to say she'd act like that too.

Grams is just so demanding and always assumes her way is the best way. If something does not happen the way she thinks it should, Grams will throw a huge hissy fit! Bossy doesn't even begin to describe her. Hell, she's the ONLY person who has ever made me cry, contrary to Yamato's belief I cried at his place that one time…

I remember that day very well and it still hurts to think about. I was six years old and had called her Abuelita, the Spanish word for Grandma. Grams got so offended she refused to talk to me the rest of the day. Now, I hate being ignored, and I still do to this day, so I asked her politely, key word being politely, why she wouldn't talk to me.

"Sora Isabel Anamaría Olivarez!" she had exclaimed. "Think before you speak, niña!"

I, being only six years old, didn't know how to respond. "So what should I call you?"

"Grams." She responded. Even now I wonder why she wants me to call her that…it sounds one hell of a lot older than abuelita or abuela.

"Grams, why did you not say Takenouchi when you yelled before?"

She raised her head in an arrogant way. "Ha! You are an Olivarez not a Takenouchi. You should not be going by your mother's name…"

Yeah, that's the thing I despise about Grams the most, she hates my mother. Here's the strange thing about it all: she's never met Mom. It's the whole "your mother is not of royal blood therefore you should be raised by your royal side not common side." Leave it to Grams to think of that.

I think that's why Dad escaped to the US for college in the first place. Grams was demanding him to settle down and find a wife of royal background, not caring if he was in love with her or not. Somehow, though, Dad convinced her to let him go to college here, he met mom, and well, you know how the rest of the story goes. Grams has never approved of the fact my father had a child with a common woman. "It just goes against the way the world works." Grams had said. I'm going to have to work my ass off in order to keep from snapping at some of the comments I know she'll make.

Other than my scary daydreams about how bad lessons with Grams will be, the day was pretty boring. I had a bunch of make-up work, which will come back to haunt me later I'm sure, but other than that, everything was fine. Well, except for the whole Music Appreciation assignment. Mr. R. is making us find a song and interpret the lyrics in a way they apply to our own life. What kind of retarded assignment is that? Thankfully, Yamato has agreed to help me with it. Ah yes, the subject of Yama. He'll be mentioned a lot more in here later I bet…

So after school Hikari and I walked to my house and hung out there until it was time to go. Unfortunately, Mrs. Yagami and my mom were both at work, unable to drive us to Mimi's. I went to my last resort.

Picking up the phone, I hesitantly dialed up Antonio's number. "Holá" the voice boomed.

"Holá Yo!"

"Soy Antonio! Mi nombre no es Yo!" (I am Antonio! My name is not Yo!)

"I get the point. Listen, Antonio," I made a point of saying his name, "can you give my friend and me a ride to someone's house?"

He paused. "Sí, Princesa Sora. I will be at your apartment shortly."

"Adios Antonio." I said as he hung up. Well, I got us a ride though I'm going to have to find someway to explain away the limo and driver to Hikari.

I left a note for mom, reminding her I would be at Mimi's house. She most likely was going out with Mr. R. so I had a strong feeling she may have forgotten.

Hikari and I grabbed our bags—she had brought over her sleeping bag and clothes this morning—and waited outside for Antonio to show up.

Hikari turned to me. "So who's this Antonio guy?"

"Um, he's my dad's driver."

"Driver?" she asked.

"Yeah," I responded, "I told you he was high-up in the government. Heh." She shrugged as my father's limo pulled up in front of us.

Hikari's mouth dropped as Antonio parked the limo and got out to open the door for us. "Wow!"

"Gracias, Yo!" I exclaimed merrily, purposely antagonizing him.

"Me llamo Antonio. How many times must I stress that, Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez?" He asked before shutting the door. I rolled my eyes at my younger friend.

"He hates it when I call him that." I explained.

She giggled. "I picked that up. So what's with the name he called you?"

I blushed. "Uh, it's sort of a tradition on Prince Phillipe's Isle." I have to keep all my lies straight so they don't come back to hurt me.

"Okay." She answered a little suspiciously. "This is so cool!"

I nodded. "It's not too bad." We pulled up at Mimi's house shortly and Antonio opened the doors once again.

"Thank you!" Hikari answered graciously.

"Yeah, thanks Yo." He rolled his eyes at my cheeky statement.

He stood close to me and whispered in my ear. "Princesa, I have two things to say. Number one, for nearly the hundredth time, my name is Antonio. And number two: be careful what you say around these girls. From what I picked up in the car, this one with you now is very inquisitive. Remember what your father told you."

"Okay," I replied. "I'm not going to do anything stupid like that."

"Buena." He answered. "Adios. Call me when you need a ride home."

"Mom is going to pick me up, but thanks anyway."

He bowed and got into the limo after setting my bags and Hikari's bags on the ground. "Why did he bow to you?" Hikari asked as Antonio drove off.

"It's a long long long complicated story." I replied. "Believe me, you do not want to know."

"Okay." She responded again. I knew she suspected something. I've really got to think of a better story. We walked to the door and rang the doorbell, waiting for Mimi to answer it.

"Sora! Hikari! Come in; everyone else is already here!" Mimi beamed at us.

Hikari smirked at me as we walked into Mimi's gigantic house and headed into the living room. She was right; the others all were there. Christine was sitting on the sofa, and Miyako was sitting on the recliner.

"Hey you two! It took you long enough!" Christine announced.

Hikari grinned. "Guess what we got to ride in?"

"What?" Miyako asked.

"A limo!" Hikari exclaimed. Oh God, she just had to tell them that. I'm going to have to make up a bunch more lies. They're going to be so mad at me if they ever find out I really am a princess. "It was so awesome. Sora's dad's driver picked us up."

"Your dad has his own driver? How cool!" Christine exclaimed.

"It's nothing to great." I answered as Mimi walked back into the room. "So what do you have planned for tonight, Meems?"

"Well," she began, pulling out a list, "The essentials: girl talk, manicures, pedicures, makeovers, we can watch _The Prince and Me_ (not mine!), and a bunch of other good stuff." Mimi's sleepovers always contain the most girly-girl things you will ever participate in during a lifetime. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with looking nice, but I find no fun in sitting around for three hours, comparing shades of eye shadow and lipstick!

This would most likely be a long night.

"I'm going to order a pizza before we get started. Does bacon cheeseburger sound alright with you ladies?" Mimi asked whilepicking up the phone.

"Sure." We all replied. My pink-haired friend dialed the number and ordered a pizza before putting _The Prince and Me_ in the DVD player.

As the opening previews began and Christine began putting silver polish on my nails, someone always does it for me because I refuse to paint my nails otherwise, Miyako sighed.

"What's wrong?" Hikari asked.

Miyako shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just reading the review of this movie and it made me wonder if something like this could ever happen in life. I mean, how cool would it to date a prince or know a princess!"

"It would be great if we actually knew they were royal." Christine answered, not looking up from my nails. "I mean, doesn't the girl in the movie not know the guy she is infatuated with is a prince?"

"True." Hikari answered. "But still, wouldn't that be cool if something like that happened?" The others nodded their heads in agreement. "What do you think, Sora?"

What was I supposed to answer? How can I respond to this question? No, Hikari, it would freaking suck! You would most likely hate me if you found out I am actually a princess but can't tell anyone! "I don't know. I guess it could be good and bad."

"What do you mean?" Christine asked.

"I see where you are coming from." Miyako murmured. "It would be so awesome if I found out one of you was a princess, but I would be really mad if I found out you had been keeping it from me." Miyako, you have no idea how close to the truth you are.

"I would be more than mad; I'd be flat out pissed." Christine said. "Best friends are supposed to tell each other everything. If I was a princess, I would tell all of you right away."

"But what if you couldn't?" I interrupted. "What if you were sworn to secrecy and couldn't tell anyone you were a princess?"

Christine smiled. "I'd do it anyway. But reality strikes everyone, it's not like that will be happening to one of us anytime in the future."

Miyako nodded in response. "I still think it would be awesome. We'd be able to do so much if one of us was royal! Think about all the hot guys we'd get to meet!"

"Yeah, but the only ones our parents would allow us to date would be the rich, snooty, princes and lord-dudes." Hikari answered.

"I don't think so." I replied. "I think there isn't such a distinct social class issue anymore when it comes to dating in a royal sense. True, most royalty carry on their lines by marrying into other upper-class families, but there are some who choose ordinary people to marry." Funny how I'm going against what Grams believes, and she is a dowager princess…

The others looked at me. "It would be cool if something like that happened, Sora, but I bet it wouldn't. It's not like some king or prince is going to come here, fall in love with some woman or end up having a child withthat person, and actually carrying that part of their life into their royal duties."

Obviously there has never been a movie or documentary made about my family.

The doorbell rang, interrupting our heated discussion and causing us to pause the movie. Frankly, I was very glad to stop talking about it. Everything they said caused my heart to sink lower and lower. As much as I want to tell them and a few other people, I cannot reveal I am a princess. And after hearing what my best friends think about something like that, I don't ever want them to know…

The pizza was devoured in a good half an hour and we finished the movie, which I highly recommend. Nothing like a good romance, with an ending that supported my beliefs, to make you feel better.

We all got out our sleeping bags and gathered in a circle around Mimi's bed. "So, ladies, I think it's time for a little girl talk. First off, I want to congratulate Hikari on finally hooking up with Takeru." Mimi exclaimed raising her soda in the air.

Miyako let out a whoop. "Hell yeah! How did it happen, Hikari?"

The younger girl blushed. "It was nothing too fancy, if that's what you all were thinking. Sora, Takeru, Yamato, Taichi, and I all got snowed in at the Ishidas last weekend and were playing a game of truth or dare. Yamato dared Keru to tell me what he really thought of me, and then Taichi dared me to do the same. It was nothing spectacular. Just ask Sora."

"How come you two were at the Ishidas anyway?" Christine asked.

I cleared my throat. "I was helping Takeru study for his algebra test. The others showed up when Yama's cargot stuck, and his place was the closest."

"Yama?" Miyako questioned.

Hikari grinned. "She and Yamato have been spending quite a bit of time together recently.

"It's nothing like that." I responded, knowing what the others were thinking. "We just talk sometimes in the resource room when we have nothing else to do."

"What a load of shit!" Hikari exclaimed. "Takeru told me he was over at your place until 11:30 a few days ago!"

Mimi let out a shriek I'm sure the people downstairs could hear. "What was he doing over there?"

I rolled my eyes and tried to hide my blush. "He was returning some things I had left at his place when we got snowed in. I got sick that night, and he told me he wanted to make sure my mom was home before he left in case I got worse. That's all."

The girls melted. "Aww…that's so romantic!"

"What's so romantic about it?" I countered, though having a hard time believing the defense I was putting up. "He was just being nice."

"Sora," Christine said, waving an arm. "This is the real world. Most guys aren't nice unless they like you."

I rolled my eyes. "Taichi is nice to me, but he doesn't like me like that."

"Didn't he say, though, he would ask you out if there wasn't someone who would beat his ass for doing it?" Hikari asked victoriously.

I glared at the younger girl. Why can't she just leave it alone? "Look, there is nothing going on between Yamato and me. Why don't we talk about a relationship that actually exists, like Miyako and Ken…"

Well we spent the next two hours full of talk about guys. Yamato and my lack of relationship was brought up again. I didn't dare mention the day he brought me to my dad's because my friends would all have heart attacks on the spot if I told them he had kissed me. That would not have gone over well.

But the question remains, what are Yama and I? I still stick with the answer nothing more than friends, but it seems everyone has evidence against us. Could there ever be a future between the two of us? I'm just confusing myself again…

The highlights of the night were by far the prank calls we made to a certain bushy-haired guy. Hikari was up first. She dialed her home number after telling us Taichi was going to be at home watching some movies with friends, and her parents were out for the night. Mimi put it over speakerphone so we could all listen.

"This is Taichi. What's up baby?"

The girls and I all had to cover our mouths with pillows to keep from laughing. "Is your refrigerator running?" Hikari asked disguising her voice.

"One second." Taichi answered. We heard him shout out, "Guys, is my refrigerator running!"

Hikari hung up the phone, and we all burst out in a fit of giggles. "Your brother is too much!" I managed to get out.

"He is such a ham!" Miyako hooted.

Twenty minutes later, we had all regained our composure and were ready to make the next call. This time it was Christine's turn. "Talk to me." Taichi answered the phone.

"Is there a Mister Taichi Yagami there?" Christine asked with a Southern accent.

"Presently present!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. Taichi has got to be one of the funniest people I have ever met!

"I'm with the Walla Walla Washington Window Works Company and was wondering if I could take a little of your time to tell you the wonders of our newest product." Taichi was silent. "Mr. Yagami," she purposely screwed his name up to see his reaction, "are you still there?"

"Yes." He answered. "Windows?"

"I was informed recently that you bought a new apartment for your wife and five kids."

Taichi laughed. "Lady, I think you've got me confused with someone else. I'm not married, and I don't have five kids! Hell, I don't even have enough money to buy a bag of chips! Do you think you could talk to my parents about raising my allowance? How is it fair that my little fourteen-year-old sister gets more money a week than me? It's an OUTRAGE!" He cried, causing Christine to hang up on him.

"You get more money than Taichi?" Mimi asked, wiping a tear away from her eyes.

Hikari stood up and twirled in a circle. "What can I say? The youngest child is the favorite!"

Ten minutes later we decided to make one last prank call to the Yagami house. This time it was my turn. I dialed up the phone number and waited for it to ring.

"Yagamis." A different voice answered.

I gasped. "Yama?"

"Sor—" I cut him off.

"Listen, don't let Taichi know it's me! We're at Mimi's and have been prank calling him over the past hour. Do you want to help us get him once more?"

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh sorry, about that. I'd love to help out, Mrs. Yagami. I should have no problem handling that."

"Okay, we'll call back in exactly fifteen minutes. Tell Tai it's his mom, and she's wondering why he didn't want to talk to her now."

"Of course, Mrs. Yagami. Why Taichi's out popping some popcorn right now."

"No I'm not!" we heard in the background, causing us to laugh.

"We'll get him good then. Put it on speaker phone so the rest of you can hear it too."

"Of course Mrs. Yagami. Yes, I am keeping my brother from making out with your daughter at any chance I get." I giggled and saw Hikari blush out of the corner of my eye.

"Save it, Ishida, or I'll sick Melinda on you!" I threatened and heard him gulp.

"Of course, Mrs. Yagami. I'll do whatever you say. Talk to you later."

"Bye." I answered, rolling my eyes. The others all looked at me not understanding the Melinda joke. "Long story." I responded trying not to blush at their knowing smiles.

Fifteen minutes later, we called the Yagamis once again and like Yamato promised, the guys were on speakerphone. Mimi, in a perfect imitation of a TV announcer, informed Taichi he had won this grand prize that was on the back of some candy bar and had to call a number, her telephone number, to pick it up within the next twenty minutes."

Taichi hung up the phone, and we laughed and laughed as he kept calling Mimi's house, and we would each take turns answering the phone. Poor Taichi was so confused. Finally, around the fortieth time he called, Mimi informed him the truth, and we could hear Tai attempting to beat Yamato up in the background.

What a slumber party!

**Monday October 21  
English**

I'm SO happy! I feel like I'm floating on a cloud, well sort of.

During fifth period in the resource room, after helping Takeru with his homework, I began to concentrate on my MA homework. What song describes the things going on inside my life? I'm going to have to work on that one.

Yama sat down next to me, and we started brainstorming a list of all sorts of songs. I mentioned once again how much I hate this class and wished it were only a semester long. That's when Yama informed me I could get out of second semester,_if _I could play an instrument.

See it's part of the curriculum here at Abe Lincoln to have a credit in musical understanding or appreciation. However, you can test out of the class second semester if you can show you know how to play an instrument and have an understanding of the history and type of music associated with that particular instrument.

"How does that help me?" I asked him. "I can't even play a kazoo!"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I could teach you to play guitar if you wanted."

My mouth fell open. "You could?"

"Of course! It'd be no problem."

"Really!" I answered. "Are you sure?"

He smiled at me. "Sure I'm sure! We should get started right away."

"Okay." I replied. "When?"

"I have rehearsal after school today and tomorrow. How about Wednesday?"

"Wednesday…" I paused, "doesn't work. My Grams is flying in, and I have to meet with her everyday after school. It's a long story."

"Oh," Yamato answered. Does he sound depressed? "How long do you have to meet with her?"

"Two hours I think." I replied.

"How does six thirty sound then, at my place?"

I beamed. "That sounds good. Six thirty." I repeated as the bell rang.

"Talk to you tomorrow." He answered, winking at me and waving.

I about danced as I left the room. I get private guitar lessons with Yamato at his apartment! How awesome is that. Now if I only didn't have to have these princess lessons…

A/N: Sorry bout the wait...my computer was supposed to be back two weeks ago but my brother's holding it hostage! Please review! Next chapter will have a list of Sora and Mimi's all time favorite TV shows…let me know what you guys think the best show/shows are…


	9. Of Lessons, Lots of Them

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon, the Princess Diaries books, or any TV show listed in the fic are not mine!

A/N: After one month, my brother finally gave me my computer back! I got home from school yesterday and found the box with it on the floor! So in celebration, here's chapter 9! Please R&R!

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ Awwww…thank you! I got the chapter up as soon as I could type it! Hope you like it!_

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ I think my mom was paying my brother not to give it back to me! _

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ Sora might have to move…I don't know what's going to happen yet; I haven't decided. And yes she'll have to get married…I wonder who would be a good husband…_

**_KAT:_**_ I liked the movie. There's a lawnmower race in there that just cracked me up!_

**_Ale1240:_**_ Nope, I understood everything you had to say! The O.C. has made the list!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ I tried to think of places telemarketers call from.Windows was the first thing that popped into my head, andthey seemed perfect for Tai!_

Chapter 9: Of Lessons (Lots of Them)

**Wednesday October 23  
Limo**

There is no way in hell I am going to survive these princess lessons with Grams! She is evil personified. A modern day slave driver! Witch in disguise…do you get my point?

After school, I headed to the hotel dad had been staying at. He had left a few days earlier while Grams had just arrived. I can't believe I get to spend more time at that place.

Antonio met me by the front door. "Yo, do I have to do this?" I had asked as we got in the elevator.

"Sí, Princesa, you will need these lessons to become queen."

"What exactly is she going to be teaching me, Yo?" Not that I'm going to be enjoying it.

Antonio just smiled, and I knew at once that was a bad sign. How am I going to survive two hours of pure utter nonsense?

"Buena suerte." He whispered. (Good luck.)

"Thanks, I think." I responded as he opened the door for me and stayed outside to stand guard.

"Sora," Grams said, standing up.

"Hello Grams." I answered, walking over to her to hug her.

"Lesson number one, when greeting a royal, you do not hug that person. A curtsy is what is expected."

I put my hands on my hips. "So I can't even hug you because you're family?"

Grams face molded into an ugly expression. "How hideous to think that! Let me see you curtsy."

"What?"

Grams sighed. "Lesson number two. Do not interrupt someone when he or she is talking, and lesson three, do not question the things an elder asks of you by saying 'what'. Be polite!"

Feeling incredibly stupid, I bent down and curtsied, standing up quickly.

"Lesson number four, the precise way to curtsy. Sora, that was absolutely dreadful. Watch me and repeat." I watched her and repeated. "Sora! Would you concentrate! Execute a curtsy like this!"

How the hell can you "execute" a curtsy? I curtsied again the exact same way she did.

"Sora, this is not a hard concept!"

Okay, up until that point I had managed to keep my temper in check. But her last comment made me snap. "Well, how the hell should I execute the damn curtsy?"

Grams nostrils flared. "Sora Isabel Anamaría Olivarez," notice how she left out Takenouchi, "a princess never uses foul, derogatory language like that! You should know better than that. Now let's try this again…"

Well, finally thirty minutes later and after forty-two failed curtsying attempts, I executed the perfect one. In other words, had this been an Olympic sport, I would have received a ten. But that wasn't the end of the lesson! No, there's another hour of this shit!

"Please sit down, niña." (Little girl) Little girl, I think not. "It is now time for the practical session of our lessons."

I couldn't help it; I snickered.

"Sora, lesson number twenty three: do not snicker at another person's comments. It is rude."

"I'm sorry Grams, please continue."

She gave me a reproachful look. "As I was saying, we will be spending this part of the lesson discussing etiquette, government policies, and other important things. First off, stand up!"

I would have come up with a smart comment for that but didn't want to hear what lesson twenty four was. Wait, silly me, I already got a lesson about sarcasm; that was lesson eighteen. Yes, I'm surprised I'm only at lesson twenty three right now. Lesson number nine was about the proper way to stand. Lesson fourteen dealt with the correct way to address someone, and lesson number twenty-one was about the proper way to listen! I freaking cannot believe there's a correct way to listen!

"Now turn in a circle." She commanded. I spun around. "Slower." I slowed down, and she began talking again. "We have got to do something about the hair, highlights maybe. The complexion is surprisingly flawless. Clothes need a change. Fingernails need to be painted different colors than the ugly ones she has on right now, ears pierced, jewelry added; my, my we do have a lot of work to do." She spoke into a little tape recorder after examining me. "Well, sit back down. I suppose we can start with the nails."

She walked over to the cabinet and pulled out some nail polish. "Lesson twenty-four: use clear polish for the nails. Dark colors make you nails look shorter. And please, change the colors. Why would you choose two colors as tasteless as these? This is not the way a princess should look."

"But it was Homecoming a few weeks ago. My friends and I painted our nails our school colors." I flashed my red and yellow nails in front of her for emphasis. Christine had decided midway through painting my nails, they had to be red and yellow instead of silver.

Grams stuck up her nose. "Ha! Why would anyone want to do that? Do you understand how ridiculous it looks? Now give me your hands." I looked at the clock; forty-five more minutes…

Antonio opened the door for me at 6:00 and laughed at my expression. "Pobrecita. (Poor girl) What did you have to go through?"

"Please don't ask. I really don't want to talk about it. Can you give me a ride home?"

Antonio bowed, and we rode down the elevator. Silently, I walked to the limo, starting to wonder if I had made the right decision to accept the role of princess.

"Gracias." I whispered when Antonio opened the door for me. I didn't even have the heart to call him Yo. Man, I'm depressed about these whole lessons.

I pulled out this and began writing all about these retarded lessons. Checking my watch, I realized I had ten minutes to get to Yamato's place for my guitar lessons.

Unfortunately, we somehow hit every red light in town. There's now ay I'm going to make it there on time!

Why are we getting stuck at every single light when I have somewhere to be! Finally, we're here with not a minute to spare. More on everything later…

**Thursday October 24  
Music Appreciation**

I don't know how many times I'll end up saying it, but Yamato Ishida is probably the nicest guy ever!

I knocked on his door five minutes late, hoping he wouldn't be mad. "Sor, hey, I was wondering if you forgot." He answered, letting me into the apartment.

"I'm sorry." Was my apology, "I was with Grams. Long story."

"It's no problem. How bad was i?."

I sighed. "Horrible. Grams is giving me these lessons to be a pr…" Shit! "…uh to help when I take over the family business." That was the first thing that came into my mind.

Yamato raised an eyebrow. "You have to take over the family business?"

I flushed, not wanting to describe what had been going on. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"Hey, that's cool. So should we get started?"

"That'd be great." I smiled. "Just lead the way."

Yamato gestured to his room, and I followed him. I hadn't been in his room sinceI was back in grade school, but it still looked the same as I remembered.

There were white walls with hardly any posters or pictures adorning them. His desk was cluttered with school books and sheet music, and the bed wasn't made.

Yamato flushed. "Heh, sorry the room's a big mess…" he walked over to the closet and picked up his guitar.

"Believe me, this is nothing. You should see my room."

Yamato chuckled. "It wasn't that bad the last time I was in there." That's right, he carried me into my room the other day. Damn bad habit of blushing! "Ready?"

"Yeah. What's first?"

He sat down on the bed and motioned for me to join him. "Okay, before we start playing or learning chords, I'm going to show you the four different parts of any guitar: head, neck, body, and bridge. Repeat please."

I laughed. "Yes, Mr. Ishida." I named each part, pointing to the part as I spoke. This is by far much better than my lessons with Grams.

"Good. Now this is the proper way to hold a guitar and placement of your fingers." He demonstrated each point making sure I understood everything.

But do you know how hard it is to pay attention when you've got a hot guy teaching you something? Okay, that sounds shallow, but it's so hard to concentrate when his hand brushed against mine, and he sometimes whispers in my ear.

"Okay, you've got the basic stuff down, and you know the different types of notes from your Music Appreciation class so I think we're ready to move on to the actual playing." He said at 7:30. "But first do you want to stop for a food break?"

I blushed as my stomach gave a small rumble. "That sounds like a good idea."

Settinghis guitar down on the bed, Yama and I walked out to the kitchen. "Sad to say Mom hasn't gone grocery shopping in quite a while. We have about as much food as we had when the snowstorm hit. That's probably why Mom and Dad decided to take Takeru out for a celebration supper over his Algebra test tonight."

Yamato looked through the cabinets. "Is there anything edible in here?"

The blond laughed. "Surprisingly, yes. Does Kraft Easy Mac sound good?" (Not mine!)

I laughed as well. "Works for me."

"Sit down on the couch and turn on the TV. I'll bring it in to you when it's ready."

"Thanks." I replied, walking into the living room and picking up the remote control. I flipped through the channels, and my eyes lit up. "Ooh!"

Yamato's voice rang out from the kitchen, "What's up, Sor?"

"_Lord of the Rings_ marathon! _The Return of the King _is on right now!" (Not mine either!)

"Too bad we missed the other two." Yama answered, handing me a bowl of mac'n'cheese.

We watched the movie and ate our supper in silence until Orlando Bloom's character, Legolas, began taking out orc after orc. I let out an unintentional sigh.

"Something wrong?"

I looked at the blond next to me. "Orlando Bloom is hot as a blond."

Yamato's brow wrinkled up. "What?"

I sighed again. Explaining to a guy what makes another guy hot is not an easy task. Why did I mention it to Yamato in the first place…not that he knows I think he's hot either…"Orlando Bloom is hot no matter what, but he's incredibly sexy with blond hair!"

"So you think blonde's are incredibly sexy?" he grinned, leaning his face closer to mine.

"I…don't know." I stuttered as my face heated up. "It depends."

He raised an eyebrow. "On what?"

I gulped. Get a hold of yourself Takenouchi! Two can play at this. "All sorts of things…"

"Like what?" he asked, his face closing in.

I smirked. "If he can kick someone's ass while wearing a pair of tight little pants."

Yamato's mouth dropped. "Really?"

"Really."

He gave me a sly smile and wink, moving his face away from mine and resting his hands behind his head. "Well, do you know where I can pick up a pair of tight little pants?"…

**Friday October 25  
Algebra II**

I am so exhausted. Princess lessons with Grams are unbelievably tiring. She makes me go through all sorts of things over and over again until they are "perfecto" by her standards.

"Sora, in order for you to be a good Princess you MUST have each of these simple tasks down pat." Maybe she should follow her own advice. What happened to lesson fifty-seven: Queen's never raise their voices?

After tonight though I, thankfully, have two days of freedom before the lessons from hell continue. But I almost didn't manage to get Saturday and Sunday free. Surprisingly, it wasn't Mom or Dad who got me out of them but Antonio.

He and Grams had gotten into this big debate in Spanish that sent my head spinning. I may have grown up around the Spanish language in both PPI and Chicago, but man, those two were speaking so fast I gave up even trying to listen!

I couldn't believe it when Antonio walked out of the room to where I was standing and waiting outside for him. "No lessons on Saturdays or Sundays."

"How?" I asked.

"I managed to convince her you deserved a break."

My mouth dropped. "But why did you do that for me?"

He chuckled and his accented voice boomed, "I have a teenage daughter and wouldn't want her to go through the same thing." Antonio is one cool dude.

He opened the door for me. "Muchas gracias, Antonio."

"No problema, Princesa."…

Only one more lesson this week before I don't have to think about Grams or any of the crap I've learned.

But first I have to make it through today's fun lesson! I don't think it will be very easy. Grams has this hair and cosmetic appointment planned at a local salon. OH MY GOD SHE'S GOING TO CHANGE ME!

A hair appointment? What's wrong with my hair? I'm starting to get very nervous about this whole thing. Hopefully it turns out for the better…

Before I forget, here's the list Mimi and I made during one of our morning classes. This helped me keep my mind off the retarded lessons and reading what Mimi wrote for some of the comments was a hoot…

Sora Takenouchi's List of the Top Ten Greatest TV Shows of All Time In No Particular Order

(With commentary by Mimi Tachikawa)

1. **_The Simpsons_** (I don't know why Sora loves this show so much! Okay, there are some funny things in there like the prank calls Bart makes to Moe's Bar. My personal favorite has to be "Is a Homer Sexual there?" Yes, I watch the show from time to time and find it funny…don't let ANYONE know!)

2. **_Will and Grace_** (Gotta say I agree with this. The show cracks me up. I just love Jack and Karen. There is never a dull moment on the show. Not to mention they've got some pretty good guest stars.)

3. **_The O.C._ **(My countdown to the new season has begun! Oh my God, I can't WAIT to see what happens! I'd better stop talking about this or Sora'll get mad that I'm not providing comments for the other shows…)

4. **_CSI _**(That whole detective stuff mixed in with science doesn't draw me to the show. Science of any sort is definitely not my forte. But Sora says it's a good show.)

5.** _American Idol_** (Ryan Seacrest is HOT! Randy's whole dawg thing is so last year, but I love all the things Simon has to say and how they rest of the crew always seems to get in at least one slam at the British dude!)

6.**_ One Tree Hill_** (I cannot believe Nathan and Haley eloped! And Lucas left Tree Hill! There's so much going on, and I have to know what happens! Tuesday night's premiere had better come fast!)

7.**_ Everybody Loves Raymond _**(Sora, I'm very surprised you have a sitcom on here! Oh well, this isn't a bad show. Robert's dumb ass comments crack me up. I just loved his wedding!)

8. **_Kim Possible_** (Sora just seems to love TV shows with redheads as the heroine/leading character. But I see nothing wrong with this cartoon. Not one on my top 10 list but still a good show. I always love it in shows when the hero kicks the villain's ass. Speaking of kicking ass, Sora, Yamato was SO FLIRTING with you when you made that comment about blondes who are tough being hot—but I bet you didn't mind all the flirting!)

9.**_ Boy Meets World_** (Thank God for reruns! I just love this show, and I was bawling my head off when the last episode aired. Eric was such a cutie, and I'm never going to forget the Phoeny call! They so need to do a reunion episode or something.)

10. **_Friends_** (At least Joey still has a show. If the last season of this show hadn't ended the way it did I would have sent an angry letter to NBC. I also would have made Daddy hire a lawyer if they refused to change the ending!)

Sora, in case you were wondering, I found out about the whole Yamato thing from Hikari and I want to hear DETAILS! I'm going to call you tonight. And what's up with some of your choices…seriously, girl, what about all the soap operas, _That 70's Show, The Apprentice, Trading Spaces, Smallville, _and all the other great shows. We'll talk about that too...later, Meems…oh yeah—Sora plus Yamato equals LOVE!...

I'm going to have to have that little talk with Mimi. She is so sure Yama likes me. Now I'm going to have to explain everything that happened at guitar lessons with the blond. It's not like anything really happened other than during the movie. After that we went back to practicing, and I stayed there for another hour. Thankfully, I suck at the guitar and have another lesson scheduled for tomorrow.

But before any of that I have to go to this lesson with Grams. I hope she doesn't make any changes too drastic, not that I'm going to let her…

A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? I kind of just randomly picked some shows and provided things I thought Mimi would think about them. Oh yeah, the stuff from Sora's princess lessons came from one of the _Princess Diaries _books so if you think some of it is odd, you're not the only one! Please Review!


	10. Of Even Odder Grandparents and Party New...

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!

A/N: I'm back! Holy cow, I haven't updated this in a while…I've been so busy with school, sports, friends, the works. This chapter's nothing special but it leads up to the next one which definitely has a lot more humor and such. But read, review, and enjoy!

**_blondie121147:_**_ Yeah, the flirt scenes are good to read…wait till Yamato's family gives them even more reason to flirt!_

**_sorato4eva:_**_ I agree…I would not be able to do that at all! Mimi's comments were pretty accurate the more I think about them!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ Gotta agree with you on the comments though I haven't watched much O.C. The station it comes in on doesn't come in very well at my house._

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ Thank you! I'm glad you like it! Sorry it took so long for the update!_

**_crazyamzy:_**_ I'm glad you got a new computer. I got mine back and it was fast, then slow, and now it's right in the middle! About the list, they were in no particular order. If they were, Friends would not be last…believe me!_

Chapter 10: Of Even Odder Grandparents and Party News

**Monday October 28  
Spanish II**

I'm so stupid! I left this in my locker over the weekend so I had no way to record everything that happened…and so much happened.

On Saturday morning, I went to another guitar lesson with Yamato. This time it was a little, well, a lot different than the last one.

I rang the doorbell at 10:00 a.m., and Takeru greeted me. "Sora! What are you doing here?"

"Your brother is teaching me how to play the guitar." I answered.

Mrs. Ishida joined us as Takeru let me in. I explained the same thing to her, and she gave me a sad smile. "I think it's great you want to learn the guitar, and I'm sure Yamato's a great teacher, but my parents are coming over to visit soon and…"

I gasped. "I'm sorry! Yamato never told me that."

Speaking of the blond…

"Hey Sora, wow, your hair looks…wow! What are you…shit!" He looked between his mother and me. "Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit today! I completely forgot about it."

"I wonder why you forgot about it." Takeru laughed in a singsong voice. His older brother glared at him but the younger boy continued. "Perhaps you were too busy thinking about something or some…"

"Takeru, behave." Mr. Ishida said as he joined in. "Here's an idea; Sora, why don't you stay and have lunch with us and their grandparents. You and Yamato can have you lesson afterwards, and Takeru can help out as well because he knows a little about playing the guitar."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Because I can just go home and come back later." I suggested.

Takeru shook his head. "Don't be stupid Sora! Stay; it'll be fun."

I looked over at the older blond who gave me a bright smile. "Yeah, what do you say?"

"Okay." I finally relented. "But I feel like a bother. Do you need help with anything?"

Mrs. Ishida laughed. "Sora, you are such a nice person. You're a guest here; no, I don't need any help. I wish my sons would be as polite and kind as you."

"Now Mother, you don't think we're polite and kind?" Takeru asked with a hurt expression, standing next to Yamato.

"Yeah," Yama added, putting on some sad eyes, "we're deeply hurt by that comment."

Mr. Ishida rolled his eyes. "Drama queens. Maybe your mother will retract her comment if you two go snap the green beans for her."

"Yes sir!" they both answered, heading toward the kitchen.

Mrs. Ishida faced me. "I think they spend WAY too much time with Taichi…"

I'll take this chance to explain about my hair. Before Grams came it was curved out at the ends and was a nice shade of red. Now, after my lesson on Friday in which I was forced to go to a hairstylist, my hair has blonde streaks in it, is a little bit shorter, and straightened. Quite honestly it doesn't look too bad, but I guess it's just going to take a bit getting used to. She also made me leave with bags full of makeup, which I'm going to have an even harder time getting used to. The hair is one thing but makeup; that's definitely something different for me. Hopefully I don't look like a clown wearing it but anyway, where was I?

For the next hour and a half, we all worked hard to get everything ready for this lunch with Mr. and Mrs. Takaishi, Mrs. Ishida's parents. I finally convinced Mrs. Ishida to let me help out, and by noon, the nice hot meal was on the table, and we were sitting in the living room waiting for the two to show up.

However, while we were waiting the Ishidas were all informing me a little bit about these grandparents…

"Okay, number one: they both have hearing aids and a very hard time hearing. They'll probably mix up a lot of things you say, but just nod your head and smile." Mrs. Ishida explained.

Takeru nodded his head. "Grandpa is VERY opinionated and has an argument for everything."

"Grandma has a horrible fashion sense. She'll be very mismatched, and her clothes will probably scare you, so when you first see her, bite your lip." Yamato said.

"And you will probably never once be called your right name…none of us are." Mr. Ishida admitted.

And I thought my Grams is odd. Even my grandparents on Mom's side aren't that weird. I hardly ever see them, though. They live out in Colorado and don't visit that often. But they do send very generous checks at Christmas time. (A/N: Takeru and Yamato's grandparents will be referred to as Grandma and Grandpa Takaishi throughout the chapter…)

The doorbell rang, and Takeru answered the door. "Yamato, my you've grown!" a lady with a turquoise shirt on exclaimed, pulling the younger blond into a gigantic hug and kissing his cheeks. Taking the Ishidas advice, I bit my lip because her outfit, well, we'll just say isn't going to be seen on a runway anytime soon. She was dressed in a pair of red pants and had a purple and orange shirt on underneath her turquoise one.

"Takeru, you are getting to be such a fine young man." She exclaimed, leaving the real Takeru and heading toward Yamato. I caught the younger blonde's eye and smirked, seeing the bright red lipstick on his face.

"Hi, Grandma." Yamato answered. "And, I'm Yamato."

"Oh yes." She said holding a hand to her head. "You two just look so alike. I'm sorry, Takeru."

Yamato rolled his eyes at me and grinned. "And who would this be?" Grandpa Takaishi asked, pointing to where I was standing.

"She's Yamato's friend."

"Yamato's girlfriend?" The elder man asked with a knowing smile.

The blond shook his head. "No, Grandpa, she's just my friend who happens to be a girl."

"Your girlfriend, eh? Not a bad catch."

Mrs. Ishida looked at her father. "Dad! Sora is not Yamato's girlfriend. She's just a friend."

Grandpa Takaishi laughed. "Deny it all you want, but I can tell you're not telling me the truth."

I sighed as Grandma Takaishi walked over to me and gave me a hug. "Welcome to the family, Laura."

Laura? Welcome to the family?

Both Mr. and Mrs. Ishida were trying not to laugh, and Takeru had already doubled over in laughter. I glared at him as I took a look over in Yamato's direction. His face was flushed, and he turned his head away from me.

"How about we all go to eat?" Mr. Ishida suggested. "The ladies prepared us a very delicious looking meal."

"Laura, come sit by me." Grandma Takaishi said, grabbing my hand and pulling me closer to her. "I want to here all about what a gentlemen my grandson is!"

Yama gave me a helpless look, and somehow Mrs. Ishida was able to save me. "Mom, go ahead and sit down. I need Sora's help in the kitchen."

"Okay, dear. I'll save her a seat by me though." She walked away, and Yamato joined his mother and me in the kitchen.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaimed.

Mrs. Ishida smiled. "The worst isn't over. They both think you and Yamato are together so you'll have to make up a bunch of stories to cover. Mom and Dad will completely forget about it by the time they leave. All you have to do is come up with some excuses nothing more."

Yamato and I looked at each other. "Okay." This shouldn't be too hard, but hopefully the two don't switch our words around.

We walked out of the kitchen, each carrying a dish andthen sittingdown. I ended up between Takeru and Grandma Takaishi. As the meat was being cut, Grandma turned to the younger blond and asked, "So, is she a good kisser?"

Takeru blanched. "Grandma, Sora is Yamato's girlfriend. I'm Takeru remember?"

She blinked. "Oh yes, sorry about that again. So, Yamato," she asked, facing the older blond, "is she a good kisser?"

He didn't hesitate. "Definitely."

"What do you have to say?" Grandpa Takaishi threw at me.

"Yeah, he's a good kisser."

"Where was your first kiss?" Grandma Takaishi questioned, sounding like a little girl.

Yamato and I looked at each other. "A restaurant."

"A restaurant?" Takeru exclaimed. "Couldn't you come up with…OUCH!" Yamato kicked him across the table. "Why wasn't I informed about this?"

Mr. Ishida smiled. "Yeah, I thought you're first kiss was at Yamato's concert."

Oh God…they're getting too into this whole making up stuff. I'm afraid of some of the things they're going to think of. Now is probably a good time to butt in. "No, it was in a restaurant. Yamato asked me out, and we went there. This little girl begged to see us kiss and we did. That's when Yamato asked if I would be his girlfriend."

"That is so lame, Sora." Takeru whispered. "You could have at least made it believable."

It is believable with the exception of the whole girlfriend thing!

The rest of lunch drowned on with more and more questions from Grandma Takaishi and a few arguments from Grandpa Takaishi. By 1:30 when the finally left, I let out a sigh of relief. We had to make up so many stories for each question and each one was funnier than the next.

According to our stories, Yamato and I are going to prom, not for another six and a half months, together; bought matching shirts that say "I love you honey" and have a large bee on them; and finally, according to Takeru, Yamato's teaching me the guitar so I can sing and play with him in his band. The younger blond got quite a kick out of it unlike his brother and me.

When the door closed and we were sure they had left, Mrs. Ishida started laughing. "Sora, I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

Mr. Ishida joined in. "Normally when they come to visit it's odd, but I have to say this time beats them all." 

"Where did you two come up with the whole kissing in the restaurant thing? I mean, come on, at least you could have made it realistic!" Takeru exclaimed.

I looked at his older brother. "I thought it was good." Yamato replied.

"Yeah." I answered. "Your grandparents bought it."

Takeru raised his hands in the air. "Seriously though, you couldn't think of ANYTHING better than that?" We both shook our heads. "Mom, Dad, did you think it was a stupid excuse?"

Slowly Mr. and Mrs. Ishida both nodded. "He's right. It was kind of lame." Mr. Ishida announced.

Mrs. Ishida looked at me. "I personally thought you guys could come up with something better…"

Yamato and I spent the next twenty minutes listening to his family through out other excuses we could have used. But through them all, I found it hilariously funny they were slamming our excuse yet most of it actually happened. Talk about irony!

I finally had my guitar lesson with Yamato a few hours later, and it definitely was better than any lesson with Grams. Surprisingly I'm actually a fast learner, which makes no sense considering how hard I have to pay attention to stay focused on the instrument rather than the hot guy sitting next to me.

I spent Sunday with Hikari and Mimi. We went to the mall and watched a movie, got drug into at least twenty clothing stores…guess who drug me there…, and went out for ice cream. I wish everyday was as good as the last two and had no princess lessons.

**Wednesday October 30  
My Room**

God, I'm only one week into these princess lessons yet it feels like one year.

Everyday Grams throws more and more pointless junk into each lesson. Now that Grams believes she's beautified me, we've been spending a greater deal of time on beauty secrets, as she calls them.

She gives me professional tips on all sorts of stuff from makeup to acne treatment and hair care to nail care. Grams has also been adding things about the history of Prince Phillipe's Isle and how its government works.

That part is actually something I look forward to each lesson, not that I look forward to the lesson itself. If someday I am going to be queen of the Isle, I think it's a pretty good idea I have some idea what's going on.

But these lessons are starting to take a toll on me. It seems like everyone's noticing. The other day I fell asleep on Mimi's shoulder during the school assembly on peer pressure, and she only just managed to wake me up before I got a detention.

Taichi says I've got sophomoritis…I had to ask him about that one. According to the bushy haired senior, this "disease" is quite common in overworked, stressed out sophomores because they just realize the easy year is gone and they realized they have two more years of this shit left. His idea is a load of crap if you ask me.

Yamato agrees. He and Taichi spent one day in the resource room arguing about it. Soon the rest of the room joined in the discussion and as expected, it was everyone versus Taichi. I felt bad for the guy but some of his arguments were absolutely hilarious.

What I need is a vacation or fun stress-free thing to look forward to. Tomorrow's Halloween; maybe I'll find something like that then…

**Thursday October 31  
Art**

I just love Halloween. We've done nothing in classes all day, and right now, I'm coloring a picture of a pumpkin. I wish this was all we ever did in class!

My wish for something fun and relaxing has actually come true. Tomorrow night, Taichi and Hikari are having a Halloween party at their place and we're all invited. It's going to be so much fun! I cannot wait. It's a costume party so I've got to figure out what to wear in addition to a few other minor details.

Maybe Grams will go easy on me tonight at my lesson. And maybe I'll be able to convince her to let me get out of a lesson tomorrow so I can get ready. If I plan this right, I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone. This is going to require a lot of smooth talking on my part, but I can definitely say it will be worth it. I'd better get started planning my begging speech right now…

A/N: Thoughts; suggestions. Please review and let me know. Also I'd like to hear what you guys think Sora's costume should be. I've got some ideas but I'm definitely open to any others!


	11. Of PreParty Preparations and Halloween

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the characters I used for Halloween costumes are not mine!

A/N: Happy Halloween! I tried my hardest to get this chapter out in time, but everything got in the way. Our football team's going to the playoffs—first time since 1998—, my family was home, and I had to take my niece trick-or-treating. Oh well, thanks to everyone who reviews, and I hope you enjoy!

**_Thetwentyone:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Yink and Pellow:_**_ Thanks! I didn't choose your costume ideas but I liked them!_

**_Blondie121147:_**_ Fake fingernails…ugh…hope your homecoming was good -looks at review and realizes it was almost a month ago- we won ours and went on a five game winning streak to the end of the season! Glad you like the grandparents! _

**_Kat:_**_ My grandparents are the exact same. They make Yamato's seem normal…lol!_

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ Lol! Thanks!_

**_My Name is R.C._**_¿Qué tal, chica? Lol! Your right; I'm in my third year of Spanish in school. Thanks for such an awesome review! Let's see…yeah, I'm assuming all hell's going to break loose when her friends find out. But I don't know when or how it's going to happen yet. I found the books at my library so I don't know what to tell you…go to the library! Lol! A drag queen? That's so freaking awesome! I should have Taichi do that in some other story -cough_TheGameofLife_cough- Guess you'll have to see what I have in store for the costumes! Thanks for the review; it made my day!_

**_Violet eyes rika:_**_ I used something like your idea…_

**_Mini Moose:_**_ Sora doesn't go as a vampire, but someone else does…_

**_Angry Piggy:_**_ Good costume suggestions…hope you liked what I ended up choosing!_

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ Glad you like everything! Hopefully you like the costumes I came up with…Yamato's is by far my favorite…lol!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Thanks! Hope you had fun in __St. Louis__ and weren't antagonizing any Cardinal fans while you're there...you wouldn't do that, right? lol!_

**_Kay: _**_Thanks!_

**_JyoumiBloodGang:_**_ Thanks…I think…_

**_Mizuki wa Kataomoi:_**_ I did use something from the Wizard of Oz, but not for Sora…_

Chapter 11: Of Pre-party Preparations and Halloween

**Saturday November 2  
My Room**

Well, the Halloween party is over and it was lots of fun. This obviously means I convinced Grams to let me go. It happened in the weirdest way. I mentioned it to her Thursday night at the end of my lesson but I don't think she heard me. She was going on about some opera we should attend in order to increase my cultural knowledge.

I never got a direct answer from her so I didn't get a costume. I decided if she would let me go, I could just pull something together. Something's better than nothing right? That's not the way Grams sees it though…and that's where the story of how I managed to get to the party begins, Friday during my lesson…

I walked into the hotel slowly, going over the speech I had prepared to give Grams about why I should be able to leave early.

Antonio met me at the front door and could tell my head was elsewhere. "You didn't call me Yo today, señorita. ¿Cómo estás hoy? (How are you today?)

"Bien, pero nerviosísima." (Good, but very nervous.)

"Why?" he asked. All this switching between English and Spanish is really starting to make my head spin. Oh well, I guess I'm going to have to get used to it for the future.

"I need to get Grams to let my leave early so I can go to a Halloween Party. Guess I'm going to have to practice my negotiating skills."

"¿Una fiestapara el día de los muertos?" (A Halloween/day of the dead party?)

We reached the top floor and head toward Grams's suite. "Yep, it's at my friends' house."

"Is that chico rubio we saw you with before going to be there?" (blond boy)

"Yes." I answered cautiously. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, for no reason." He answered, trying to sound innocent.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I responded as we knocked and entered the room. Great, even Antonio's teasing me about Yamato. And worse off, there's nothing he knows about to tease me about.

"Hello Sora."

"Buenas tarde, Grams." I answered, curtsying.

She nodded her head, and I stood. Antonio too bowed but to both of us before leaving the room.

"Now, for the first part of today's lesson…"

I raised a hand signaling I wanted to talk instead of interrupting her. If I stand any chance of convincing her then I need to be on my best behavior.

"Yes." She responded. "What do you need?"

I gulped. Here I go. "Grams, you know it was just Halloween and all? My friend Hikari and her brother are throwing a party tonight, and I was invited. But in order to get there on time, I'm going to need to leave early from lessons to find a costume to wear and get ready."

Grams pursed her lips but bore a thoughtful look on her face. "So, are there going to be a lot of people at this party?"

"I would assume so. The Yagamis have a lot of friends."

"So…it would be like a social gathering…there would be all sorts of people there. And all these people would get to see you…"

"Grams?" I asked but she completely ignored me, lost in her own fanciful musings.

"You'll get to show off all your new perfected mannerisms, poise, and abilities…you'll get to practice being a princess," she snapped her finger. "That's it! Sora, you don't have a costume yet, do you?"

I shook my head and raised an eyebrow. Is she getting at what I think she's getting at? "No, does this mean you're going to let me go?"

"¡Fantástico! I can make some calls and get the things we don't have already. Oh, and you'll get a chance to wear the family jewels and a tiara—I'm sure I can find one of the least expensive ones…"

"Grams…you want me to go as a princess?" I asked. "I was just going to go as a witch or something though. Something I could just throw together."

"Throw something together for a party? Pish posh! Sora, you don't just throw something together when you go to a social function! No, I'm going to give you the best costume out of anyone there."

"You will?" I asked.

"Of course!" she replied enthusiastically. "Sora, I know you and I don't always see eye to eye but I want you to go and have fun. Besides, it'll give you a chance to extend what you've learned into the real world. You need to look as spectacular as your manners are."

Wow did Grams just say something nice?

Wasting no time now that she had set her mind to it, Grams picked up her phone and dialed a few phone numbers, speaking to each person in rapid Spanish.

"¡Antonio, viene aquí muy rápidamente!" (Antonio, come here very quickly!) Grams called, hanging up her phone.

"¿Qué usted necesita?" (What do you need?) The man asked, as he came back into the room.

"Vaa estas tiendasy compra las cosas en mi lista." (Go to these stores and buy the things on my list.)

"Sí," he answered, bowing and walking out of the room.

I watched with my mouth dropped open as Grams began walking around the room. "Okay, Sora, try this on." She said, getting right down to business. Grams walked over to the closet and pulled out a long silver gown.

I gave her a blank look, and she put her hands on her hips. "Sora, we don't have all day! If you want to get to this party on time you're going to have to put the gown on."

"But…" I began lamely, "it's probably not my size."

"Nonsense! I took your measurements awhile back in order to get your gown for the 500th birthday party ready. So far, I have gotten back one design, and this is it. While it is beautiful, it is not fit for such a ceremony."

Grams stared me down, and I finally relented. "I guess it can't hurt." I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Here goes…

Five minutes later I emerged, feeling extremely stupid. "Can you zip it up?"

"Of course," Grams replied. She zipped up the back of the dress and turned me around to face her. "Sora you look breathtaking! I knew that you would have no problem pulling off a gown!"

Grams directed me to the large mirror and I looked at my reflection. Wow, is that me? The silver dress did indeed fit perfectly. It was strapless, flowed out at the bottom, and fit nicely around each part of my body. Luckily, I had a bag of extra clothes, shoes, and undergarments stashed at her place in case I ever needed them…and this was one of the times I had needed them.

"I'm glad you like it too." She answered, giving me a half smile. "Now it's time to do your hair and makeup. I'll let you put on your own makeup. You do remember what I taught you, right?"

"Uh huh," I replied. Oddly, I had remembered that lesson. Granted I had absolutely no idea what the name of each object was. But I did remember how to apply the right amount of each and what shades to wear with what colors.

Another twenty minutes, and Grams had finally okayed my makeup job. At first I had had too little, then too much, and at long last the perfect amount. But there was no time for relaxation; it was time to fix my hair.

Antonio had arrived back while I was putting on makeup. He bore all sorts of hair and nail products and handed them to Grams, apparently very happy to be back and away from the beauty parlors he must have been at. After giving me a quick lecture on each product, Grams began to fix my hair.

I had decided, with some help from Grams, I should have cornrows in my hair, and the rest of the hair spiral curled. I had a hard time believing Grams actually knew how to do this considering she always had someone else to do it for her. But I guess the results speak for themselves. Surprisingly, Grams knew very well what she was doing, and my hair looked pretty good.

Next Grams walked over to a drawer and pulled out a necklace with a HUGE diamond pendant dangling from it. "How much did that thing cost you?"

"$3000." She replied with a wave of her hand. "It's the cheapest of all the ones I brought with me. But it looks fantastic on you." She clasped the chain around my neck and headed back to the drawer to grab some hoop earrings. Pierced ears were a new thing for me; she had made me get them pierced when we went to the beauty parlor, but the earrings did go well with the outfit so I wasn't complaining too much.

And finally, after giving me a simple pair of flip flops to wear, she pulled out a tiara.

Even though I knew there'd be one, I was not expecting it to look so…magnificent. It's hard to find the right words to describe this. After seeing all those fake plastic ones, I never expected this one to be so different.

It was a light silver and had sapphires and diamonds adorning it. The way it appears is just so hard to describe…wow is about the only word that fits.

"You're actually going to let me wear it?"

Grams gave me a funny look, "Why wouldn't I? You're a princess and everyone knows princesses have tiaras. Besides, you'd look like a prom queen without it. You need something to distinguish yourself."

"But what if something happens to it?"

"The royal jewelers should have no problem fixing it. And besides, that tiara itself has gone through thick and thin."

I raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

For the first time I thought I saw a guilty look cross myher face. But it vanished as soon as it had appeared. "I thought you needed to be at this party on time?"

I looked at my watch and gasped. The party started at 7:00. It was 6:45. Normally I would never ever stay at Grams's place that long, but I informed Mom earlier I'd be doing my best to convince her, but Mom might never see me alive again. I guess I was wrong.

"Antonio, can you drive me there?"

"Of course, Princesa." He answered. "We will take our leave."

Grams smiled. "Now Sora, I expect you to be on your best behavior, representing Prince Phillipe's Isle the best you possibly can."

"Okay…" I answered slowly. Grams's mood can change so fast.

"Have fun but remain distinguished. We've gone over that plenty of times in our lessons. Oh, and don't forget this!" she pulled something out of one of the bags Antonio had. It was a plastic scepter.

I snickered. "The rest of my costume looks believable, Grams, but this kind of screws me over."

"Language, young lady, language." She warned. "Pish posh! It's fine. You wouldn't want to drag an actual scepter around all evening. No, believe me, it would get very heavy."

"Yes, Grams." I answered, giving her a curtsy. Wow, curtsying is much easier when you're wearing a gown than I thought it would be. I decided not to answer her last comment with a sarcastic remark. Grams had been really nice and helpful to me tonight. That was by the far the best time we've had together since she got here. There was like no arguing!

Antonio and I climbed into the limo and sped off toward the Yagamis, once I gave him the directions. We arrived shortly and Antonio stopped the car. "Here you go, Princesa Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez."

"Gracias, Yo, but tonight I think I'll just go by Princess Sora."

"That sounds like a plan. Have fun, kid." He smiled and held out his hand so I could get out.

I gave him a nod of the head and started walking up the steps to the Yagamis apartment. Antonio got back in the limo and pulled away.

I was very glad Grams gave me plain flip flops to wear because it would have killed walking up all the stairs to the Yagamis in high heals. I made it up to their door and could hear the music playing inside. Here goes…

Hikari and Takeru answered the door, dressed as the Wicked Witch of the West from the _Wizard of Oz_ (not mine!) and a vampire. "Sora!" the younger girl squealed. "Oh my God! I can't believe you're wearing a dress and came as a princess!" she looked my outfit over. "If I would have known you could pull it off this well, I would have made you dress up like one a long time ago."

I blushed. "I don't look that great."

"I'd say that's an understatement. Wait till Yamato sees you."

"Why…" I answered slowly.

"No reason." He answered mysteriously. "We're going to go mingle. Talk to you later, Sora."

"Bye guys. And I like the costumes!" I exclaimed as they headed the other way.

Looking around the crowded room for someone I knew, I spotted Mimi dressed as a ballerina, dancing with Koushiro, an evil genius. Mimi's mouth fell to the ground when she saw me, and she mouthed the words, "You had better tell me all about it later." I grinned at her and continued looking around.

There was Miyako dressed as Catwoman dancing with Batman, who I presumed was her boyfriend Ken. Christine came as a cheerleader and was standing by the stereo talking with Jyou Kido, wearing a football uniform, and Daisuke Motomiya wearing an…ostrich costume? Kudos to the kid for being unique. I'd definitely vote for him if we had to choose the best costume of the night.

Moving on, I began walking over to the food table, sure I could find the host of the party there. I started to giggle as Elvis Presley entered my line of vision. I knew very well who it was by the dark brown hair, and he turned around to face me.

Taichi was eating a chip with salsa on it when he recognized me. Sadly, his white jumpsuit was no longer white in the front. "Sora!" he exclaimed, completely missing the fact he now was wearing the salsa from his chip in the middle of his costume. "Wow! I would have never imagined you in a dress! Damn girl…you clean up well!" he whistled his approval.

I laughed. "I'd say the same to you, Yagami, except that you kinda spilt some food on yourself."

Taichi looked down and flushed. "Oh boy. I'm going to try and clean this up. I'll talk to you later. But you'll save me a dance, right?"

"Sure thing, Elvis." I responded.

As I watched Taichi's retreating back head towards his kitchen, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Yamato's gorgeous smile. "You look incredible."

My cheeks heated up, and I looked down to avoid his face. "Thanks…I…" I paused and looked him over. I couldn't help it; I squealed. "Oh my God! You came as Legolas! You even got a pair of…"

"…tight little pants." He responded, and we both laughed. "But I seriously mean it. You look incredibly beautiful, Sora."

I turned away from him, feeling my cheeks grow warmer. "You definitely don't look bad yourself, Yamato." I answered.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked, bowing lightly and kissing my hand.

"I think I can handle that." Came my response. He led me into the middle of the room where most of the dancing was going on and well…we danced. I'd go into more detail but what's there to say. We danced for what seemed to be an eternity. With each song, we'd give each other a look and keep on dancing. We were both perfectly content with each other, and I could feel many eyes on me, especially from the senior girls.

"They're jealous of you." Taichi told me as we danced. Yamato had needed to use the bathroom, and Tai had insisted if he didn't dance with me then, he'd probably not get to. "Yamato's been hogging you all night. He doesn't want to dance with anyone but you."

"Why?" I asked. "There are so many girls here he could."

"But he likes you more than the rest of them. A lot more than the rest." Taichi said winking.

Does this mean?

"What are you trying to get at?"

Taichi had been waiting for me to ask that. "I don't know…a little birdie told me that…"

"Taichi!" Hikari shouted. "Mom's on the phone and wants to talk to you."

Taichi rolled his eyes. "I'll tell you later, Sora." He answered, running to get the phone from his sister.

On that note, Mimi, Hikari, Miyako, and Christine pulled me into the hallway. "Okay, we want to hear all about your costume! You look like an actual princess! How did you pull it off?" Miyako asked.

"Yeah, Sora. You look so pretty." Christine added.

Mimi smirked. "And Yamato definitely liked it. You two have been together all night."

"We were dancing, Meems, nothing more." I responded, even though I knew it was a lie. From what Taichi told me, it sounds like Yamato likes me more than a friend. I cannot believe it. I really need to find him and get to the bottom of it.

"My Grams has some connections." I responded to the first two questions. "Listen, I've got to go find Taichi. He was telling me a story and I want to hear the end of it. But I promise I'll tell you more about it on Monday at school."

Hikari blinked. "You actually want to hear the end of one of Taichi's stories? Why?"

"I'll tell you later; if what he tells me is good or not."

"Okay." They answered. We walked in and saw Taichi standing on a chair. "Hey everyone! Party's over! Mom and Dad are going to be back soon, and the neighbors have been complaining about the music."

The group groaned but, nonetheless, began to leave. "Do you want me to walk you home?" Yamato asked, joining up with me again.

I faced him. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He grinned. "We can head out then. Takeru's going to stick around and help Tai and Kari clean up. We'll see you guys later." He called to the Yagamis, Jyou, and a few others.

Mimi let out a squeal as she saw me walk out with Yamato, and I saw Christine nudge Miyako. Great, I should have known that would happen.

"That was fun." I said, making small talk with the blond.

"Yeah it was. Did you have a good time?"

"Of course."

"Good." He replied. There was an awkward silence. "Your costume just looks so real. How'd you get all that stuff?"

"My Grams had a lot of it." I replied. "She helped me out with it."

"That's cool." He answered as we reached my apartment. "So Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you doing anything tomorrow?"

He's asking me out! "No." I answered, trying to control my voice.

"Do you…want to have a guitar lesson then? And afterwards we can just hang out or go get something to eat."

"Yeah." I managed. "That sounds good."

"Great. I'll be over here at 3:00?" He responded, walking me to my door.

"Sure." I answered.

"Well, goodnight Cinderella."

"Cinderella?" I folded my arms. "Are you implying something about me?"

"That you're gorgeous?" he grinned.

I rolled my eyes. "Goodnight Prince Charming."

He bowed once, kissed my hand, and with a wink, walked off.

I walked into the room and saw my mom and Mr. Reynolds both sitting on the couch, watching some movie. "Sora? Is that you? In a dress?" Mom asked, dumbfounded.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Mom. It's me. I'll explain it to you tomorrow."

Kicking off my shoes, I walked upstairs without saying anything. I was almost floating on air. Mom called after me but I ignored her. I have a date tomorrow with Yamato; well, it's not exactly a date, but he was definitely just flirting with me. Maybe that's what Taichi was talking about. All I know is that I'm going to find Taichi and figure it out. Maybe there is a future between the blond and me…we'll just have to wait and see…

A/N: Thoughts? Suggestions? Hopefully Sora doesn't sound too clueless or anything; she just wants to know for sure if Yama likes her or not. Please review! And Happy Halloween!


	12. Of Spilled Secrets Part 1

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digmon is not mine!

A/N: I'm getting into an odd habit of updating on holidays…oh well, here's chapter 12. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far…you've given me a lot to be thankful for this holiday…please r&r and enjoy!

**_My Name is R.C.:_**_ I would love it if you'd help out with the translations. I was using an online translator for the things I didn't know and what it was giving me didn't always make sense to me. Hopefully you can help. Either e-mail me, click on the link to my profile page to get it, or you can leave your address in the review! Glad you liked last chapter. Daisuke's outfit came from the outfits a couple of the senior guys at my school wore for one of our theme day's during homecoming week—African Safari Day. It just seemed like something he would wear…lol…_

**_Saori The Wind Goddess:_**_ Aww, thanks! Glad you like it!_

**_Banana Flavored Eskimo:_**_ Thanks! And I definitely look forward to the next installment of your fic -wink wink-_

**_Midnight-mystic-dragon:_**_ Wow, thanks for all the nice words!_

**_Kat:_**_ No, I didn't have a costume…I took my niece out trick-or-treating…_

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ I liked the whole tight pants thing too…lol!_

**_Antler: _**_Thanks…I'm always trying to throw in a few twists…_

**_Kay:_**_ The wait is over!_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ What's with you and screaming? J/K! Yeah, the clothes and jewelry Sora wore were authentic…she looked like a real princess…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Unfortunately, her perfect life is going to go a little downhill…_

**_Mizuki wa Kataomoi:_**_ Yeah, I don't know why I put Ken as Batman. It went with Miyako's costume so I decided to go with it!_

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ You'd think he'd get a clue and tell her!_

Chapter 12: Of Spilled Secrets Part 1

**Sunday November 3  
My Room**

I really hate it when you have one of those days that sucks then is decent and then incredibly horrible. That's exactly what today was like…

After spending all day yesterday helping mom clean—yuck!—the apartment, the only thing I wanted to do was get some sleep. I wanted to be refreshed and ready for my guitar lesson with Yamato, but it didn't happen this way.

"Sora, phone's for you." Mom sounded cranky. Rolling out of bed, I glanced at the clock. No wonder, it's 6:30 in the morning. Who calls at this time?

"Hello." I mumbled through a yawn.

"So how did the party go?"

"Grams, it's 6:30. Why are you calling now?"

"That is one of the reasons I'm calling, Sora. The other is because I wanted to tell you we're having lessons this morning. Shall I send Antonio in fifteen minutes?"

"¿Quince minutos¿A las siete menos cuarto?" (Fifteen minutes? At 6:45?) Great, now I'm the one switching in between languages.

Grams sighed. "According to my clock, that is correct. We have a lot to cover because you missed Friday's lesson."

I have to make up that lesson? Why? "But Grams…"

"No buts, Sora. I'm sending Antonio, and you had better be ready!" The next thing I heard was a click.

She hung up on me!

Knowing I had no choice, I grabbed my robe and clothes before heading into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

The five minute shower felt refreshing though short. I changed my clothes and brushed my teeth with time to spare. The minute I left the room, Mom rushed in, nearly knocking me over in the process.

I heard the flush of the toilet and saw Mom come back out looking a little green.

"Did you just?" She meekly nodded. "Mom, are you okay? You don't look too well."

"I'm not sure." Came her response.

"I have to go to princess lessons with Grams, but if you need me, please call." She smiled and kissed my cheek before I walked out the door.

"Holá, señorita. ¿Como estás?" (How are you?)

"Estoy muy cansada." (I'm very tired.)

"Yo tambien." (Me too.) "Let's go. We don't want to keep the woman waiting." He mumbled sarcastically.

I nearly fell asleep on the ride there. Lessons at 6:45 are not the ideal way to start a morning. Antonio pulled up at the hotel and parked the limo. We lethargically climbed the steps and made our way into the elevator.

Neither of us said a word as the elevator rose. It was clear we were both very tired. I never assumed Grams would be a morning person. Hopefully I don't have anymore of these "morning lessons".

"Bueña suerte." Antonio wished as he does every time I have a lesson. (Good luck.)

I rolled my eyes at him and knocked on the door. Grams called for me to enter and I walked in. "Sora, you're finally here! That's great! Let's get started!"

How many freaking cups of coffee has she had this morning?

"Grams, why are we having a lesson on a Sunday morning? I was enjoying my sleep."

She paused. "Sora, the 500th birthday bash is now under two months away. I need to have you trained and ready for everything by then. We have so much left to do and so little time…

I spent the next three hours being quizzed on Prince Philippe's Isle knowledge. As I probably wrote before, I have no problem with this part of the lesson. History definitely beats her yelling at me because I don't cross my legs the right way when I sit.

We took a break for breakfast at 9:45, and Grams made me tell her all about the party. After informing her I had behaved properly, was social, and kind to everyone she forced me to continue. You'd think she'd really want to know about the good details of the party—Yama—but she didn't even ask about guys or my friends. Go figure though.

I was held at my surprise lesson until 2:00. Grams insisted I sit through in-depth lectures regarding eating habits, shopping etiquette, and how to react when meeting with a dignitary. Okay, who the hell follows shopping etiquette? Grams really needs to pick up a new hobby other than torturing me.

Antonio drove me back to my apartment. It appeared he had taken a nap and was fully awake now. "You look very tired, señorita. For your own good, get some sleep."

I yawned. "But I can't. I have a guitar lesson and then a date." Whoops shouldn't have let that slip.

Antonio raised his eyebrows. "With who? Your blond friend who drives the motorcycle?" I didn't have to say anything. My face by far gave it away. "It seems Princesa Sora has some feelings for someone…I bet your father would love to hear this."

"Antonio no! Please don't tell papá; he'll freak! And it's not really a date anyway. We're just going to hang out after the guitar lesson."

The man smirked. "Then why'd you call it a date?"

Shit, he's got me there. "Um…because…well, it was a…slip of the tongue! I've gotta go! Please don't tell my father."

"Your secret is safe with me, Princesa. Now have fun and behave." His rich laugh could be heard as I walked up the stairs, and he drove away.

I walked into the apartment to hear the phone ringing. That's weird. I wonder where mom is. "Hello." I panted as I picked up the phone.

"Sora, where have you been? I've been calling your place for the past hour!"

"Calm down, Meems. I was with Grams."

She sighed. "You're always with her Sora. Or you're always with Yamato. By the way, what's going on between the two of you? What happened after you two left on Friday night?"

Great, now I have to explain this to her. "He and I walked to our apartments. That's it. There was nothing spectacular about it."

"Why don't you just admit you like him?"

"Why should I be forced to admit anything? It's really none of anyone's business. If I like him and want to keep it a secret, I should be able to."

"But we're best friends. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other. What's up with you, Sora? You've been so distant and preoccupied lately. It's like you don't have time for us."

"I have a lot going on in my life, Mimi. Things are hectic and…"

Mimi interrupted me. "Sora, you've been so secretive about stuff too. No one knows what's going on with you when you're with your Grams. You come back from each time with her feeling exhausted. I'm your best friend; you can tell me if something is up."

"What if the secret's bigger than you or me? What if I just CAN'T tell you?"

"We're best friends. I tell you everything and vice versa."

I shook my head but remembered she couldn't see me. "I don't tell you everything, Mimi. There's some stuff I don't want to tell you and there are some things I just can't; you've got to understand me."

"Do you not trust me?" she huffed. "Because I can keep a secret."

"Of course I trust you. What kind of stupid question is that?" I was nearly yelling.

"So you think I'm stupid? God, Sora, if this is how you're going to be acting, I don't want to be your friend!" she shouted.

Wow, she just hung up on me. Does this mean our friendship is over? What couldn't she understand though. I can't tell her some things because I'm sworn to secrecy ,and I don't think I should be obligated to tell her everything that goes on in my life. There are things I want to keep private. But she goes and blows up on me, claiming we aren't friends anymore.

Well, I guess this is partly my fault too. If I wouldn't have bitched at her we probably would still be friends. This just adds to my list of things screwed up in my life right now.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed Yamato would be here soon. I may as well get something to eat. Grams hadn't let us take a break for lunch, and I was starving. As I approached the refrigerator, I found a note taped to it.

_Sora, I had to run to the store then I'm going to be at Carl's house. I'll be back before __6:00 __hopefully.  
Love you, Mom_

That's a little odd. She normally lets me know if she's got a date with Mr. R. so I either avoid the house or know why she's not home. She's usually not too spontaneous about these kinds of things. Something's up…

I grabbed some lunchmeat and cheese from the fridge and made myself a sandwich. As soon as I had finished eating it and cleaned up, the doorbell rang. Yamato's here.

"Hey." The blond said as I opened the door.

"Hey." I responded, smiling at him.

"You ready to get started? The sooner we finish, the sooner we can watch this." He pulled out the DVD _Day After Tomorrow._ (Not mine!)

"I've been waiting to see that for a long time! I was sick when it was out in theaters."

He grinned at me. "I know. I heard Mimi telling Miyako." At the mention of Mimi's name, my face fell. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Mimi and I just got into a bit of an argument. I'm fine though." I brushed it off. "Let's go."

We sat down on the living room couch and he pulled out his guitar. "Okay, we're going to review the basics before moving onto some new things. Can you play me a G?"

I did as he told, and he nodded his approval. Yama then asked for a few more specific notes, and I played each one.

"Great! Okay, now we're going to go through some scales." He pulled out a sheet of paper he'd written a grand staff and notes on. "These are some of the most common scales and will help out your playing."

The blond and I spent the next thirty minutes working on these before the phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Sora, what's this about you and Mimi getting into a fight?"

Word travels fast, huh? "Christine, I'm kind of busy now. Can I call you back later?" In the background I heard someone else pick up a phone.

"Are you blowing us off like you did to Mimi?"

"Of course not, Miyako! I just don't have time to talk right now."

"She's blowing us off." Miyako stated.

"Go figure." Christine answered. "You never have time for us anymore. By the time you are free to talk to us, we won't feel like talking to you. Goodbye Sora."

That's the third time I've been hung up on today! Is this anti-Sora day or something?

"You sure you're okay?" Yamato asked. My eyes locked with his cerulean ones, full of concern.

I forced a smile. "I've seen better days." I sat down next to him again and picked up the guitar. "This is the one bright spot of my day. So can we keep playing?"

"Of course." Slowly we continued with the lesson. All this frustration from the phone calls and fights with my friends began to take their toll on me. "Hey, relax." Yamato soothed. "You're getting tense, and it's showing in your playing. Sor, you're doing great for someone who's just learning, but you're pushing yourself too hard. I think we can call it quits for today."

"All right." I sighed. He squeezed my hand and put the guitar away before heading over to put the DVD in. "Do you want me to shut off the lights?" I asked.

"Why not? There's plenty of light coming in from the window."

I flicked the switch, feeling my heart beat faster as I sat back down on the couch. Yamato and I are here alone with the lights out. Holy cow! Yama sat down beside me, and we started up the DVD.

Not even fifteen minutes into it, my eyes began to grow heavy. I felt a set of deep blue orbs on me and the next thing I knew, Yamato's arm was draped around me, and he'd pulled me to him.

"You look like you could use some sleep. Go ahead, you're overworking yourself." He whispered in my ear.

"But I want to see the movie."

He placed a finger on my lips. "You can see it anytime, but right now, you need to sleep. Go ahead, I'll be fine."

Knowing he would keep demanding it until I finally agreed to try to rest, I laid my head on his shoulder. A few second later, I was out…

"Sora," a heavenly voice whispered. "Sora, wake up."

I felt someone gently shaking me. "Let me sleep." I mumbled.

But the voice refused to give up and was beginning to panic. "Come on Sleeping Beauty, rise and shine. Your dad's on the phone, and he's giving me the third degree!"

I shot up. One look at the blonde's face was priceless, and I knew immediately my dad was on the line. Snatching the phone from Yamato's hand, I slowly began to speak, "Papá."

"Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez!" he exclaimed so loud even Yama heard it. I cringed and knew I was in for it. Papa began yelling in rapid Spanish. "Why did a guy answer the phone and why were you sleeping? What were the two of you doing?"

"Papá, we weren't doing ANYTHING, I swear! He's teaching me how to play the guitar for one of my classes at school. We just finished, and I fell asleep. Grams' lessons are really taking a toll on me."

His voice softened. "Lo siento, hija. I overreacted. I just…when he answered the phone…" (I'm sorry, daughter.)

"I understand, but I think you owe Yamato an apology."

"Yamato," he answered suspiciously, "is he that boy who drove you home on the motorcycle…"

"Papá!" I warned.

"Put him on."

I handed the phone to Yamato who looked absolutely terrified. "H..hello?" Yamato looks so adorable when he's terrified…which is not very often. "Thank you, sir. No I understand."

He handed the phone back to me and gave me charming smile. "Now that that's taken care of, what did you call about?"

"I'm sure your grandmother talked to you this morning about the 500th birthday party. Well, we just finalized the plans a few hours ago, and I want you to mark some dates down. You'll be flying in on December 21st to get ready."

"You mean I can't spend Christmas here with mom?"

"We'll work something out. As I was saying, we'll have Christmas on the 25th, tour the island for the next few days, and then the party is on the 31st."

"When do I fly back?" I asked.

"Fly back? Sora, you'll be staying in Prince Phillipe's Isle from the party on."

My face blanched. "What the hell? When did we agree on this?"

"Sora, you're a princess. Your kingdom is the island!"

"This is ridiculous! Don't I get any say in this at all? You guys can't force me to pack up all my stuff and move to another country because my "duties" lie there just like that."

"Sor—" I slammed the phone down. This day just keeps getting worse.

I threw the phone on the recliner and suddenly felt myself being lowered down. The next thing I knew, my head was resting in Yamato's lap, and I was looking into his eyes.

"Okay, Sora, you and I are going to sit here until you tell me what all's going on with you. It's not good for you, keeping it all inside."

"Yamato, no." I protested. "I don't want to tell anyone about these things. And some of the things I'm sworn to secrecy about."

He shook his head. "I'm not going to pressure you to tell me what's going on with your dad because I know you can't tell me. But keeping these things bottled up inside you is not healthy. You're going to ruin a lot of relationships and end up depressed if you don't talk to anyone. And I'm here to listen."

"Why do you want to know?" I snapped, though his words were starting to sink in.

"Sora, I care about you. I care about you a lot. And because I care about you, I want to know."

Our eyes locked and didn't leave one another's. "All right." I finally whispered. It was there that I confessed everything that I've been keeping from the others. I started with my fight with Mimi then moved on to my fears about my mother's health, the pressure Grams' lessons have been putting on me, and finally finishing with what my dad has planned. "Yamato, I don't want to leave Chicago just like that. I want to finish up high school here and go to college here before moving there. He just expects me to pack all my stuff up and leave though. I don't know what to do."

"Hey, it's okay." He whispered, brushing my hair off my face. "You and your parents may not see eye to eye on everything, but I'm positive you'll be able to come to some sort of conclusion. Take some time to cool off before you call your father, apologize for hanging up on him, and work out a solution."

I shut my eyes and then opened them. "Thanks Yama, it really did help to talk to you about it."

"I'm starting to become your psychiatrist." He joked.

"As long as you don't charge much for your services!"

The blond laughed. "For you, it's free." He paused. "Sora, if you don't mind me asking, why did your father call you by such a long name, and why do you have to move there?"

I gulped and made a very big decision. "Yamato, I'm going to tell you something you've got to swear you'll never tell anyone."

He stuck his pinky out and I linked mine with it. "I won't tell anyone. Any secret you have is safe with me."

"A while back you guy's asked me what my father does on Prince Phillipe's Isle, and I told you he was involved in the government. Well, my father is actually really involved in the government; my father is Ki—"

"Sora, thank goodness you're here." Yamato and I looked up to see mom and Mr. R. walk into the apartment. I sat up quickly, hoping I wouldn't get yelled at for the way I had been sitting. "Sora, we have something we need to tell you. Yamato, it might be a good idea if you left."

He stood up. "I under—"

"No," I grabbed his arm. "Please stay. I'm most likely going to tell him anyway, mom. He can stay and hear it."

I looked at my mom and from the look on her face, she could tell I wasn't going to take no for an answer. "You can stay Yamato. Sora, please don't freak out after we tell you what we need to…you may want to sit down for this."

"I'm fine where I am." I answered. Yamato squeezed my hand to let me know he was there.

"Sora, you know Carl and I have been dating each other for a few months and well…please don't freak out…Sora, I'm…I'm…pregnant."

My mouth dropped, and I felt myself falling. Yamato caught me before I hit the ground, and that's the last thing I remember before blacking out…

Voices around me were whispering, trying not to wake me. "Thank you for everything, Yamato. You're always there for her."

"It's no problem, Ms. Takenouchi. I care a lot about your daughter."

"We can tell, Yamato. Thank you again." Mr. R. answered.

"Well, I'd better be going. And congratulations by the way." The blond said.

"Thanks. We're going to be out in the kitchen and let Sora sleep. Goodbye, Yamato."

"Bye." I opened my eyes and saw Mom and Mr. R. leave. The blond was about to exit the room as well.

"Yama," I called.

He turned around and smiled at me. "Hey, how are you feeling?" He approached my bed and sat down on the side.

"Shocked? Scared? Disbelieving?" I tried.

He chuckled. "You have every right to feel that way. But you'll get used to it."

"Eventually. It's just the whole idea that still scares me to think about."

"Me too." He answered. "I'd better be off though so you can go talk to your mom and Mr. Reynolds. I imagine you have a few things you want to ask them."

"Yama, wait…"

"Yeah?"

I paused. "Why are you so damn perfect?"

His eyes widened. "What gives you that idea?"

"You are the perfect guy. You're always there for me and always want to see me happy. Why?"

He gave me a small smile and lowered his face to mine. He gently brushed his lips against my forehead. "I can't think of anyone better than you who deserves to be treated that way. Sorry our lesson got cut short, and you didn't get to see the movie. At least we got a lot taken care of, and I know never to answer the phone at your place."

"Dad just gets a bit," I searched for the right word, "overprotective sometimes. He would like you if you two met."

He smiled again. "That's good. But I had a pretty good time today, through all the chaos. We'll have to do this again after the next lesson, or maybe a lot sooner."

"I'd like that."

"So would I. Goodbye Sor."

"See you tomorrow, Yama."

He left the room and was sure I had the largest grin on my face. He kissed me, and I think he just admitted he likes me! That makes up for all the bad stuff that's happened today.

I stood up. Guess it's time to go talk to Mom and Mr. R. It's going to be really interesting, this whole pregnancy. Oh well, at least I can look on the bright side: things can't get much worse, right?...

A/N: Holy cow, that was long! The original version was longer but I thankfully cut out a lot! Wow, there was a lot of bad news in that chapter…hope you all enjoyed it though and can figure out what the next chapter is about…I left plenty of clues! Please review and have a happy Thanksgiving!


	13. Of Spilled Secrets Part 2

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ I've never seen Day After Tomorrow, but it sounds really good! About your problem, guys are a mystery to us women, and they'll probably always be. It could just be a crush you'll get over soon or something else. Just maintain the friendship at least; something more could develop from it. I'm not the best person to come to for these types of things; I've got guy problems of my own! Lol!_

**_Kat:_**_ Thanks! This chapter's long too…_

**_Banana Flavored Eskimo:_**_ I'm glad you like it -smiles- Speaking of updating, I hope you update both your fics soon…I love them both!_

**_SoraKoi the Water Goddess:_**_ It's been a while since I last updated. I've been busy and have had a lotta stuff going on._

**_Placid Snowflake:_**_ Thanks! Yeah, I would go crazy if my friends did something like that…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ I hope they solve everything in 2 months too…and I hope I figure out the mystery of how to spell Phillipe/Philippe soon!_

**_Sapphire Dragons:_**_ Thanks!_

**_Dark Magician and Holy Mage:_**_ Nope, Sora's dad is the king. Her mom isn't royal, and the baby she's going to have will be Sora's stepsister/brother because they don't have the same father. That means, Sora's still the heir…_

**_Sorato4eva:_**_ Scream, don't scream…whichever you prefer…I'm not too picky! Lol!_

Chapter 13: Of Spilled Secrets Part 2

**Monday November 4  
My Room**

My life is officially over…

**Chicago**** Tribune 4 Nov.  
****Chicago****'s Own Little Royal**

Chicago, IL. In news shocking the entire globe today, it was revealed sixteen year old Sora Takenouchi of Chicago is heir to the throne of Prince Phillipe's Isle. Prince Phillipe's Isle is a little known island off the cost of the Bahamas that is ruled by King Santo Ricardo Haruhiko Olivarez, more commonly known as King Haruhiko.

When did this all come about? King Olivarez was in town a few weeks ago and staying at one of the city's finer hotels. In that time, witnesses at the hotel say Princess Sora visited the man quite often, and it appears it was there that she found out she was a princess. The _Chicago Tribune_ received a tip and picture from a doorman at the hotel.

"She was going to go into the hotel, and I stopped her, asking who she was going in to see." The doorman, Stephen Jennings, explained to the press. "And she told me she was going to be seeing her father, Haruhiko Olivarez. At first, I was in complete shock. We all at the hotel had been briefed about who King Olivarez was, but I didn't know he had a daughter. Well, I didn't want to let the opportunity pass so I grabbed a camera I happened to have with me, and took a picture with her. She was a bit confused, and I assumed King Olivarez had yet to tell her she was a princess."

If all of this sounds made up to you or at least a myth, there's more to the story. The manager of the hotel, Kara Beyer, also shared information with the press. "Oh yes, she comes to the hotel every day. Her father left a few weeks ago, but most people do not know that currently the Dowager Princess, Princess Sora's grandmother, Mariana Olivarez, resides up in our hotel. Princess Sora comes for long periods of time each day and leaves each night, taking different things with her. Once, she even left bearing a crown and a scepter. If that's not proof enough, I don't know what is."

So, how did a girl from Chicago, become heir to the throne of a country thousands of miles from here? Haruhiko Olivarez came to America about twenty years ago and met Toshiko Takenouchi at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. A close friendship immediately developed between the two. Haruhiko was pursuing a major in politics while Ms. Takenouchi was studying business. From what we're heard from close friends of the two who have chosen to remain anonymous, after drinking a bit too much at a party one night, the two slept together. Princess Sora was conceived, and the two decided they would rather stay friends than get married. King Haruhiko had promised to stay with them and raise Princess Sora, but duty called him back to Prince Phillipe's Isle.

However, the two decided as well, to keep Sora out of the spotlight because most likely King Haruhiko would get married and have other heirs. Unfortunately, it did not happen that way. King Olivarez married but his wife died five years later after a bout with a rare blood disease. They had failed to conceive a child. Things got worse for the King when it was pronounced he had testicular cancer and would have to remove the cancerous section. He is therefore unable to have children, leaving Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez as his lone heir. Article continued on page 3

**Tuesday November 5  
Spanish 2**

So that's it. Just like that, everyone knows. Everyone in the freaking world knows I'm a princess. I wish I had never let that damn doorman take a picture with me. I wish my dad had never had cancer in the first place. I wish Mom and Dad had never met. I wish I had never been born…

Great, now I'm suicidal. Things are looking better and better.

I guess I may as well describe how yesterday was a day from hell…

At first I would have never guessed it would happen this way. It was like any other Monday. Monday's just suck in general. I had gotten dressed and eaten a quick breakfast. I waved to mom before walking out the door, towards the Yagamis. For the past few weeks, Hikari and I have been walking to school together.

"Good morning, Sora." Her mother gave me a warm smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. Yagami. How are you?"

She smiled again. "I'm pretty good. What about you?"

"I've seen better days." I answered truthfully.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Oh, here comes Hikari. And…Taichi?"

Hikari turned around. "Big brother, you're actually up?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Surprise, surprise, I'm up. Let's all make fun of Taichi. Ha ha."

"He must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed." Hikari whispered in my ear. I had to agree with her. Well, then again, I don't think Taichi's ever been a morning person. Every time I get to their apartment each morning, he's never up.

"Be happy I'm up cause I'm driving you two to school."

I laughed. "Wow, what's the occasion?"

"Bye Mom," he called, ushering Hikari and me out the door. "I didn't get a chance to continue the story I was telling you at the party."

My eyes lit up as the three of us got in the brunette's car. "Well in that case, thank you very much for waking up. So where were we?"

"Like I was saying before, Yama…damn it!" Taichi cursed. "Where the hell did all this traffic come from? Even when I'm up this early, I've never seen this many cars."

Hikari gasped. "Look! That van is from one of the television stations. And that one's from another station. And it looks like they're all heading for…the school."

I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. They couldn't be here because they know about me, right?

"Whatever the reason, it seems we're gonna find out when we get to school." Tai responded. "It's probably a good thing we left early so I'll actually be able to get a parking spot!"

"So what were you trying to tell me about Yamato, Taichi?" I asked, really wanting to hear what he had to say.

He grinned at me. "Don't be surprised if he has something to tell you in the next few days."

"About what?"

"Yamato'd kill me if he knew I told you this much. But I think you'll really like what he has to say." We, ten minutes after we left the Yagamis, arrived at school. Considering it usually takes Hikari and me ten minutes to walk there, it was a long drive.

Tai parked the car and we got out, a good block away from school. The front entrance was lined with cameramen and reporters. We approached and I thought I would lose my lunch when I saw a familiar face.

The doorman of the hotel.

"There she is!" he cried out, pointing at me.

Hikari and Taichi both looked at me. "Princess Sora! Princess Sora! Would you comment on this? How does it feel to let the world know you are a princess?"

"Princess Sora?"

I looked at my two friends with sad eyes. "Unfortunately…"

"But…how?" a dumbfounded Taichi asked as reporters began swarming us.

"My father is king of Prince Phillipe's Isle." I managed to whisper, fighting back the tears. No one was supposed to know! The crowd grew larger and I was separated from the siblings.

I saw the principal of the school walk over to us. At least he'll help me. "Excuse me! I'm Mr. Brown, principal of Abraham Lincoln High School."

"How does it feel to have royalty attending your school?"

He gave a large grin. "Wonderful! Princess Sora is such a model student." Where the hell is he getting this? He sent a letter home to my mother at the beginning of the year saying I was disruptive! "It's an honor to have her here!"

"Would you comment on that, Princess?"

"Please, let me through!" another voice yelled. "Sora, come with me. Your mother and grandmother are coming. They'll be here shortly."

I looked gratefully at Mr. Reynolds and followed closely behind him. As we made our way up to school, I saw many students being interviewed. "Yeah, Princess Sora's in my art class!" "She and I play tennis!" "We were partners on a project last year!"

Great, it seems like everybody, even the principal, is enjoying this so they can be put on TV! "Here," Mr. R. handed me a copy of the _Chicago__ Tribune._ (Not mine!) "You can read it in my classroom. I called your mom and grandmother to let them know. Needless to say, your grandmother wasn't very happy."

People in the halls were pointing and muttering as I walked by. We reached the Music Appreciation room, and Mr. R. let me sit there, collecting my thoughts while he stood watch outside.

I was still in shock when I finished reading the article. I should've known something like this was going to happen. It doesn't surprise me that the stupid doorman and idiot manager told the press. But I wonder who these friends were.

The door slammed open, and I nearly jumped at Grams's voice.

"Quien demonios haya sido el que le dijo a la prensa va a ser enterrado vivo una vez nuestros abogados lo averigüen. ¿Sora, como te sientes?" Grams was fuming. (Whoever the hell told the press is going to be buried alive once our lawyer gets wind of this. Sora, how are you feeling?)

"Todavía estoy impactada." I admitted. (I'm still in shock.)

"Well you have every right to be. That damn paparazzi." Now that's a rarity, hearing mom curse.

Mom and Grams got into a large conversation about all this and, for once, it seemed like they were actually getting along. "Lo siento Princesa." (I'm sorry, Princess.)

I looked up at Antonio's face. "Gracias Yo. Desearía que esto nunca hubiese sucedido. (Thanks, Yo. I wish this had never happened.)

"I think we all do." Mr. R. answered softly.

"Grams, what are we going to do now?" I looked at the clock. First period was midway through.

"We are going to hold our heads up high and get through this with honor and grace. You are a princess, Sora, and you're going to show them you can stand tall through things like this."

"So am I going to stay in school?"

"¡Claro que sí!" (Of course!)

"Is that a good idea?" Mom asked, voice full of concern. "No one will no how to act around her, and I'm afraid of how some of the kids will react."

Grams shook her head. "She will stay here and Antonio, I want you to accompany her. You will now carry the role of bodyguard."

"Sí." He answered, bowing.

Mr. R. put an arm around mom. "It may be hard, but Sora will get through it. Her friends will help her."

Yeah, if I have any friends left.

"Okay then, but only if you want to Sora." I slowly nodded. Everyone would think I'm weak if I refused to go to classes. "I'll call Haruhiko then and Sora; I guess you should probably get to class." Mom bent down and gave me a kiss on the forehead. "I love you, honey. We're going to get through this. Don't let what others say get to you."

"Take the back exit, Toshiko. You'll have to battle the press otherwise." Mr. R. advised.

She smiled. "Okay, goodbye, and good luck to everyone." The door shut and Mom left.

Grams stood up too. "I will take my leave as well." She paused. "Sora, our relationship hasn't always been the best, but I want you to know I'm here whenever you need me. Siempre e admirado tu fortaleza y determinación. Ahora maestra a todos porque serás la mejor reina que la isla vera. Buena suerte, nieta." (I've always admired your strength and determination. Now show everyone why you'll be the greatest Queen the island will ever see.)

Grams gave me a strong smile and left. Mr. R. looked confused, obviously not understanding Spanish. "You two will want to head to the office to get a pass. Good luck today, Sora. I know the others have all told you that, but I have a feeling it will be quite the ordeal. If you need anything or a quiet place, feel free to come in here."

"Thanks, Mr. R." I answered. "Let's go Antonio." He and I walked out the door. "I have a feeling this is going to be a big adventure."

"I agree, but we all know you can do it. What your grandmother told you back there, that's the highest form of a compliment I've ever heard from her…"

* * *

"Look, it's Princess Sora!" 

"Wow that must be her bodyguard or something. She's so lucky."

Antonio and I walked through the halls to my locker after first period was over. Every single person would stop to stare at me and it was driving me crazy! When I would pass, they'd immediately start gossiping.

"I heard she's worth millions!"

"Well I heard she's engaged to Prince William! It's an arranged marriage."

Now that rumor cracked me up. Where the hell are they coming up with these things?

"Yo diría que eso es la cosa mas extraña que hayamos escuchado." I murmured to Antonio.(I'd say that's the oddest one we've heard yet.)

"Estoy de acuerdo. Pero tengo la sensación de que escucharemos mas cosas extrañas." Antonio answered. (I agree. But I have a feeling we'll have some more strange ones.) Antonio answered.

We reached my locker and I unlocked it, very thankful at this time hardly anyone knows where my locker is. However, I have a feeling once people find out; things are going to be even crazier.

I grabbed my books and headed off to second period, Antonio following close behind. Hopefully it's not like first period…

It was. All my classes were bad. Basically all of my morning classes and lunch were spent answering people's questions and signing autographs. I couldn't understand the latter. I'm not famous, I'm not a celebrity. Had none of this happened, half these people would have no idea who I am or that I attend their school.

Lunch was horrible too. I was invited to sit everywhere. I went to sit over with Mimi, Miyako, and Christine but they all moved away. I guess they're still pissed at me.

Finally I was drug to Jennifer Jones's table with her, her friends, and Jacob Richards. They spent the whole time sucking up to me and finally shut up when Jacob asked them to. He gave me a smile that appeared to be sincere, but I really wasn't too sure. I mean, he could just be trying to butter me up before he tries anything like they are.

Thankfully, the bell rang and I walked into the resource room. My eyes searched the class for Takeru, Taichi, or Yamato. Takeru and Taichi were beckoning me to come join them but everyone else stared at me. I didn't see Yamato anywhere. There was an unnerving silence as Mimi and Koushiro stepped into the room. The pink-haired girl glared at me. "Why if it isn't the Princess. I wouldn't have thought you'd want to spend time with us common people. Oh wait, maybe you're going to ignore us like you did before just to rub it in that you're better than we are."

I snapped. That comment hit me hard. "Fine, if you don't want me here, I'll just leave." I stormed out of the classroom ignoring Ms. Lewis's pleas to stay. Antonio was trailing me wherever I went, knowing not to stop me. My feet led me to the stairs to the roof.

When I reached the top of the school, the tears stared to fall. I couldn't stop them from coming down. The pressure had built up so much and finally decided to come crashing down. I was through being brave. All I wanted to do was cry, and that's what I did.

"It'll be alright, Sora." Antonio put his arm around me in a sort of fatherly embrace. "When people begin to understand, the rude comments will leave."

"It's not the snide remarks that bother me. I've heard plenty of those today. My best friend, or at least my former best friend, hates me. I know I pushed her out of my life unintentionally, but she doesn't understand everything I was going to. All I wanted to do today was explain and hopefully mend our friendship but after that comment she made…it's like I have no friends, and I'm all alone."

"You will get through this, señorita, they will come around."

I wiped a tear off my face, but more kept sliding down. "I hope so. I just need some time to think by myself."

"I understand. I'll go stand over there." He pointed to the edge of the roof where a row of flowers and plants were planted.

"Thanks Yo."

I buried my face in my arms, sitting down on the hard ground. My life just keeps getting worse! First my friends hate me, then I find out my mom is pregnant, I have to move to Prince Phillipe's Isle, and now the whole freaking world knows I'm a princess? Why can't something good happen?

I closed my eyes and the tears kept building up. Why does this all happen to me?

"Sora?" a voice questioned, and I heard the door slam shut.

"Go away!"

"Sora, please, I just want to talk to you."

I lifted my head off my arms. "Yamato, go away. I don't want to listen to another person make rude comments and make fun of me. Leave me alone!"

"What makes you think I came up here to do that?" He responded, not backing down.

I stood up. "Everyone is freaking mad at me! Everywhere I walk people point and stare and gossip behind my back. Then I have to sit through classes listening to people call me princess and ask if they have to curtsy or bow. This sucks, Yamato. This really sucks!"

"Sora, why would I make rude comments about you?" he asked in a low growl. "Damn it, do you really think I'd do that?"

"How should I know?" I spat back. "My best friend just ripped a big hole in my heart by what she said. Why wouldn't you do the same?"

"Because I want to understand your side of the story and hear it from you, not some stupid paper. Just give me a chance, Sora."

He walked over and tried to put a hand on my shoulder, but I pushed it away. "So what, then you can laugh at me after hearing what I have to say? Leave me alone, Yamato, I want to be by myself."

"It's not healthy, being alone. Your anger and sadness will eat you up and that's the last thing I want to see!"

"Like you care so much about me."

"I do."

"Excuse me?"

He walked closer to me. "I do care about you. I care one hell of a lot about you. And believe me, I'm not the only one."

"Yeah, you and all the other people you care about me because I'm a princess and sort of a celebrity."

His blue eyes narrowed. "I would never ever use you, Sora. You know me better than that. We've known each other too long and become too close of friends for that to ever happen. There are people who care about you right here in this school."

"At least I thought there were. Then my friends all decided they hated me and didn't want to be friends."

"You still have friends. You've got me, Takeru, Taichi, and Hikari if no one else. I've talked to the three of them ,and they support you, just like I do. They don't blame you for not telling them. Those three understand you couldn't tell and only want to help. Don't push us away. I know this is going to be hard for you and probably take a lot out of you, but we will all be here for you. You're going to need friends and support, and we want to give it to you. We'll be here for you, Sora, throughout everything. I will be here for you throughout everything. You have my word." He slowly wrapped his arms around me.

And this time I didn't push him away.

I buried my head in his chest and just stood there, letting him hold me, tears still coming. I felt safe in his arms, away from all my troubles, finally feeling like someone other than my family understood me.

Quite some time later, I pulled away, my tears finally gone. "I'm sorry, Yamato. I was being a stubborn idiot."

"It happens to the best of us. You wouldn't be human if it didn't." he replied, gently stroking my hair. The blond smiled, motioning for me to sit down and then followed as well. There was a moment of silence. "Do you wanna tell me about it?"

"You read the paper, didn't you?" He nodded. "Most of it's in there."

"That's not what I meant. I want to hear what you have to say and what's going on in here." The blond pointed to my heart.

I paused, collecting my thoughts. "It's terrible. No one was supposed to find out. They were going to announce it at the Isle's 500th birthday party on New Year's Eve but then that damn doorman…but then again, it's my fault."

"Don't say that! You didn't know you were a princess from what the paper said. You found out later. Don't blame yourself."

"But everyone's pissed off at me!" I responded. "I've heard all sorts of comments and rumors with Mimi's being the most vicious."

Yamato put a hand over mine. "She would understand if you talk to her and explain everything that's been going on in your life to her, like you told me yesterday. Well, except for the stuff you want to keep quiet. If she doesn't understand then, well, it's her loss, losing you from her life." He looked at me. "Sor, were you going to tell me your dad is king last night?"

I nodded meekly. "You've been there for me through everything, Yama. You've become one of my best friends in a period of a month! I can't believe I doubted you…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. You're under a lot of stress as it is, this whole princess thing being out in the open only adds to it. If I had been in your spot, I probably would have done the same thing."

I paused. "Maybe. But thank you Yamato. Thanks for just being here, listening to me, and putting up with me…"

"It's no problem." He smiled. "Now we should probably be heading back to class."

"How'd you know I was up here?"

"I was in the guidance counselor's office during lunch and just coming back when I saw you leave the classroom. Well, I was still signed out so Ms. Lewis assumes I am currently in counselor's office. I just followed you guys up here."

"I see. Well, Yama…thank you. You've been here every time I've needed you."

He grinned and the next thing I knew his lips were brushing mine. It was a brief, soft kiss and I looked up at him expectantly when he pulled away. "You're very welcome, Princess."

The blond stood up and offered me his hand. "One thing, Yamato…" he raised an eyebrow. "Please don't call me Princess. I'm really sick of it. Especially because he always calls me that." I motioned to Antonio with my hand.

The Latino man rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Princesa." He turned to Yamato. "Thank you for making her realize she still has friends and is cared about."

"Why didn't you interrupt us when we started yelling?" I asked curiously.

He grinned again. "Because I could tell he was getting to you and breaking through your stubbornness."

I stuck my tongue out at him, smiling for the first time in a while. "You two haven't been introduced. Yamato, this is Antonio, my dad's driver and now he's my…bodyguard. Dude, Yo, I can't believe Grams called you that."

"You're telling me. It's not like I want to be called a bodyguard. It wasn't in the job description, following a moody young teen around all day." He joked.

"Well I have to put up with you, so it's not looking much better for me." I answered, teasing him as well. "And Antonio, or Yo as I call him, this is Yamato, one of my very close friends."

"Mucho gusto, Antonio." Yamato said, sticking out his hand. (It's a pleasure to meet you.)

"Igualmente." (Likewise.) Antonio responded, shaking Yamato's hand before facing me. "It seems he knows how to call a person by their proper name. I like this guy." He turned back to Yama. "I'm glad you pulled Princesa Sora out of her funk. I think Prince Phillipe's Isle will be getting a very wise and kind King in the near distant future…"

"Excuse me?" Yamato injected. "What did you say?"

Antonio smiled brightly and began whistling. "You two heard me. I think it's about time to head back down."

He headed over to the door leaving Yamato andme alone. "He's an…interesting guy."

"You have no idea." I replied as we began walking to the door. "I didn't know you knew Spanish, Yamato."

He grinned again. "I've been taking it since freshman year. I always thought it might come in handy. I guess this was the time…"

A/N: Please review! Sora's problems appear to be turning around…maybe…hope this didn't turn out too much like the movie version; I did my best to avoid it! Sorry it took me so long to update too. But to anyone who reads "Artistic Differences", I'm 3/4 the way done with the next chapter, so expect it soon! Have a happy 2005!


	14. Of Causes and Effects

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_SoratoFan:_**_ Expect more Koumi in the future…_

**_Kat:_**_ If you've got any questions about it, just let me know…_

**_Kay:_**_ Thanks!_

**_snowflake:_**_ Thanks! I'm glad you like it!_

**_Kuroi Black Nightingale:_**_ Sadly, this time I haven't even started Artistic Differences yet. Luckily, I have no school on Friday so it should be up soon!_

**_Sorato-takari:_**_ Scream, don't scream…it's up to you! Lol! The answer to the question may be in the chapter…_

**_SoraKoi The Water Goddess:_**_ Nothing wrong with a lil pressure to get me to write. Lol!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ Mimi's not in this chapter, but she's in the next, that's for sure…_

**_BrnttsDoItBest:_**_ Lol, I agree with your penname! Lol! Love the name. Yeah, I would hate to go through that all…_

**_Direwolf1427:_**_ Yes this is inspired by Princess Diaries._

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ I'm hoping the year will go well too...-winkwink- Hope yours goes well, lol…you're right about the girls writing fics vs. guys…_

**_Inconnu:_**_ I liked the movie, but it by far wasn't one of my favorites. I thought the second one was better, but quite truthfully, I like the books much better. Thankfully this isn't turning out like the movie…and it's not really turning out like the books either…_

**_Cherryblossom Sky:_**_ Thanks! I don't know if this is better than the book; I'd say it isn't…_

Chapter 14: Of Causes and Effects

**Monday November 18  
Music Appreciation**

Yeah, it's been quite some time since I've written. I've had so much to write but never got the opportunity to, as I have absolutely no spare time.

To say that things have gotten hectic would be like saying the sky is blue. Spare time is a thing of the past and the same goes for privacy.

Reporters stalk me everywhere I go. They were crowded around school for the first week after the world found out my secret. Slowly, after learning I wasn't going to say anything and that Antonio is a force to be reckoned with, they've began to leave me alone. But that's only at school.

The outside world is another story. I can't go anywhere without someone stopping to ask for an autograph or people standing around to gawk.

Signing autographs is okay to an extent. It's overwhelming more than anything else. Honestly, I don't mind pausing to sign a sheet of paper for a little boy or girl. I would most likely be the same if I was their age.

But then there are the others who want to meet me, laud me, and tell me how I'm their idol. What have I done to be called an idol? That's not a hard question…absolutely nothing.

It bothers me to be considered one. I haven't done anything to be an idol. So big deal, my dad's a king. Sure, if I had grown up with the luxurious life knowing I was heir to the throne of Prince Phillipe's Isle, maybe I'd be more accepting. But growing up in an apartment, living a plain, normal life, is quite the opposite.

With the exception of my very small group of true friends, school is a nightmare. People still stop and stare at me between every class. Before the incident, ninety-nine percent of the people in school didn't know my name or couldn't point me out in a group of people. Now, I'm the talk of the school. People intentionally go out of their way to bump into and talk to me. "Oh, Princess Sora, how are you?" "Princess, I love your shirt!" "Princess, we're having this big party Friday night and would LOVE it if you'd come!"

People only want me to come to their parties and talk to them to say they've "gotten to talk with the princess." They just want to use me for their chance at fifteen minutes of fame. Believe me; it's not hard to tell which people they are.

Thankfully, though, as I mentioned earlier, I do have one reason to look forward to school: Hikari, Taichi, Takeru, and Yamato. While Mimi, Miyako, and Christine refuse to acknowledge I'm alive, my four other friends…well, I don't know what I'd do without them.

Hikari is the one who really understands me. She's my closest female friend and like my younger sister. Kari knows my deepest darkest fears and secrets usually before I do. She can tell when I'm at my breaking point after the twentieth person that day asks me if they curtsied right. She helps me vent out my anger after Grams loses her temper during a lesson. And she is the only one who knows I've fallen for Yamato. Actually, I think she knew it before me.

It had been about a week ago. Hikari and I were waiting outside for Antonio to pick us up. "Did you hear the latest news?" The younger girl asked. I rolled my eyes at the tone of her voice.

"What's the rumor mill saying today?" People constantly gossip about me, and I can't even begin to name some of these stories. It's not like they're bad or anything personally degrading. They're just all about my love life and who likes me this week.

A bunch of guys have approached me and asked me out. I get a kick out of the whole thing, quite honestly. These guys tell me they've been crazy about me for a long time but were "too shy" to ask me out before. Suddenly, miraculously, they've all gotten a confidence boost. I find this particularly funny; as some of the guys are incredibly popular and had no problem laughing about my friends and me before this princess thing was revealed.

Kari giggled. "You and my brother are going out."

"What?" I exclaimed, but mine wasn't the only voice.

"Sora, you and Taichi are dating?" Yamato asked, and from the look on his face, it appeared the idea didn't pass well with him.

The younger girl grinned knowingly. "It's just another rumor, Yamato. You didn't really believe the two of them were going out, did you?" she paused. "You sounded a bit jealous too."

He tried to hide his look of relief at her first comment, but I caught it. "You really were jealous, Yama, weren't you?" I couldn't keep from smiling. He was jealous about that?

"Of course not," he lied.

A light chuckle emitted from a passer-by. "Bro, you always blink a lot when you lie. I have no idea what you guys are talking about, but I can tell Yamato's lying."

The older blond sighed. "Whatever, hey, there's Antonio with the limo. Takeru and I will walk you two there."

The two freshmen wandered in front of us, lost in a conversation about some random thing. Yamato and I walked behind them in silence, and I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "You were jealous!"

He glared at me. "I just never would've expected a rumor to be started about you and Taichi."

"You're avoiding the question, Yama." I couldn't keep from smiling. "I think it's cute."

Immediately, I regretted saying it.

He raised an eyebrow, "Cute?"

I bit my lip, knowing I couldn't talk my way out of this one. "I didn't expect you to react that way, but I guess you've reacted the same anything there's been a rumor about my love life." If he could evade the question, so could I.

"None of those guys are good enough for you."

My face tinted red, and I tried to hide it. "Now you're just trying to make up for the whole jealous comment." I couldn't help but feel flattered.

He chuckled. "No, I was being sincere." We reached the limo and waving to me, he murmured, "Maybe I was a little jealous…"

As soon as I sat down, Hikari let out a stream of statements. "Sora, I heard what he said to you! And you should see the smile on your face right now! Oh my God!"

"What?"

"You're in love with him!"

"What…no I'm not!" I protested.

"Yes you are!" Kari grinned triumphantly. "You two have gotten so close during the school year, and he's always there for you no matter what. Sor, you told me everything the other night when you were staying over at my house, everything that's happened between the two of you since school started."

I knew it was feeble to deny it, but natural instinct told me to. "So, he could just be a really good friend!"

"Sora Takenouchi, you and I both know you're denying it!"

That's the thing about Kari; she's very good at reading my expressions and won't give up on me even when she knows I'm lying. And the girl can always weasel the truth out of me. "You'd better not tell anyone…"

Tai is my comic relief. He can make me laugh and smile even when I've had a horrible day. He may not be very book smart, but he's definitely people smart. Taichi always improves my mood and makes me think I've got something to look forward to.

Takeru is like my little brother. He's also a beacon of hope. He offers his ear to listen to my problems and is the most reasonable of the group. The things he says always seem to make perfect sense.

Yamato…I think it's obvious. I've mentioned him enough in here. Let's just say, what would I do without him?

He's continued to be a good friend and is always ready to help me out. Yama's still teaching me guitar. I can officially play "Jingle Bells" and "Smoke on the Water." (Not mine!)

But the only thing that bothers me is that I don't know where exactly we stand. I'm pretty sure we both admitted we like each other but nothing has been said regarding it. If he doesn't do something soon, I will.

I looked up at the clock. Five more minutes. My gaze met three very icy stares. Miyako, Mimi, and Christine all have this class with me and that brings up a rather sour subject.

The three refuse to talk to me, and now they won't talk to Hikari either. They think she's a traitor for siding with me. When I attempted to confront them and apologize as well, Miyako's response was something along the lines of, "Do you hear something…must be the wind."

They refuse to even listen to me and quite frankly, the three are acting incredibly childish. I can't begin to apologize until they realize they have to listen to me.

Thankfully the bell just rang. Time now for lessons with Grams. Yes, I still must have them as I don't know enough about "being a princess" as Grams put it. Then I have a guitar lesson with Yamato.

I can't forget to tell him what Mr. R. had to say in class today. If we're going to test out of the class by playing an instrument, we must play a memorized song and sing along or have someone else sing along to it, proving it's not completely made up. Mr. R. claims it's for the best.

But I can't sing. I'll scare everyone away and then I'm stuck with another semester of this class. Oh well, hopefully we'll come up with something. I've got to go. Grams says she has a surprise for me…it should be interesting…

**Thursday November 21  
My Room**

Grams' surprises are never something I enjoy. Once when I was nine, she gave me tickets to this ballet thing for my birthday and made me go with her. She had promised she got me a "great surprise, and I'd love it." But the thing turned out to be a bunch of old men and women in tights, reenacting the history of Prince Phillipe's Isle. How boring!

There have been a couple other stupid surprises, but I thought nothing could top the ballet thing…until now.

Antonio—who sadly has been forced to follow me around; I feel sorry for the guy, having to sit through all my classes—and I entered Grams' suite and saw her nearly dancing around with joy.

"Grams?" I questioned.

She stopped dancing around and tried to look dignified. "It is about time! I have been waiting."

"Sorry school goes till 3:15." I mumbled under my breath, and Antonio snickered next to me. Luckily, Grams didn't hear.

"Sora, you'll never guess what I managed to do." She paused to let me guess but then changed her mind. "I have gotten you an interview with _Talk of the Town_ for Thursday afternoon! Isn't that great?"

My face blanched. Grams had gotten me an interview with one of the biggest local shows, aside from Oprah. (Oprah's not mine but _Talk of the Town_ is!) "Why?"

"…"

"Grams…"

"Why not? Hundreds of people have requested interviews with you, but you've turned them all down. Why not start now?"

"Grams…" I tried again.

She held up a hand. "My decision is final."

So here I sit, waiting for Antonio to pick me up and take me to the studio. I don't want to do this. Making speeches doesn't bother me. But ¾ the families in the Chicago area watch this show. It's taped during the afternoons and then broadcasted the next night. If something goes wrong…I'm screwed.

Antonio's here…I'd better cross my fingers…

**Saturday November 23  
The Ishidas**

I cannot believe Grams did that. I would never think she'd stoop that low. She's done some rude, blunt things but never anything this horrible, especially considering the way she reacted to this. I can't believe her!

Antonio and I arrived at the studio an hour before the interview was supposed to take place. I was immediately ushered into hair and makeup, and as soon as that and signing a few autographs was done, got moved to the green room.

There I met the host of the show, some perky energetic woman in her late thirties with way too much eye shadow on. Grams met us in there and informed me she'd be joining us for the interview. The woman went over a few of the questions and led us into the main room.

An array of cameras and lights greeted us, ready to expose Grams and me to the city. "3, 2, 1, action!" the director cried.

"Hello again, everyone! Today on _Talk of the Town_ we bring you America's own little royal…"

The beginning of the interview wasn't horrible. The lady asked me how I had found out I was a princess and the questions it seemed everyone had been asking over the past few days. But then it seemed she directed all the questions I could have and should have answered to Grams. It reminded me of the part in the musical _Chicago_ when the lawyer answers all the questions for Roxy Hart. (Not mine either!) Grams wouldn't let me get a word in, even when it was one of my feelings that needed to be expressed. "It's the princess's opinion…" "The princess…"

But the real blow came midway through when the woman made a comment. "So, how did you feel revealing to the press the details of your son and Ms. Takenouchi's relationship?"

My mouth fell open, and I looked at Grams in a state of shock. "The two hotel employees had announced they were going to disclose the secret, and I saw it fit to disclose the information regarding the circumstances. It was all for the best. I do not blame them for telling; it is an awfully hard secret to keep."

What happened to the Grams who charged into the Music Appreciation room two weeks ago and yelled about her lawyers suing the people? All this time, I thought she was mad and yet now, I find out she was part of the whole thing!

"Princess Sora, are there any love interests in your life?"

"N…"

"She's single, at the moment, but when she goes back to Prince Phillipe's Isle in a month, I am planning on introducing her to the baron's son. He's a charming lad."

How dare she! "To answer your question, no, I don't have a boyfriend. But I'm looking for the right guy. I'm only sixteen, though. Being a teenager, it's just natural for my friends and I to talk about guys and who we have a crush on and those kinds of things."

"What she means to say…" Grams gave me an evil look.

The reporter faced me again. "But you're so pretty and popular. Certainly you have been asked out before."

I gave a sarcastic laugh. "Ever since my grandmother and the two hotel employees," I said this rather harshly, "revealed my background, yes, I have been asked out. But I don't want to be asked out just because I'm a princess. That's flat out stupid. And I think it's rather shallow to ask someone out just because they're pretty or popular."

"So do you believe in arranged marriages?"

Grams gave a haughty smile. "Of course…"

"…not. I believe we should each have our own say in who we end up with. We don't necessarily choose who we fall in love with, but I don't want to marry someone just because it was arranged."

The woman smiled. "Well, you heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen. It was a pleasure talking to you both…"

Grams and I walked out to the parking lot, avoiding the mass of reporters and press, and Antonio let us into the limo. The minute, no second, we pulled away, Grams let me have it. "Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, how DARE you do that back there!"

"You're going to lecture me?" I asked incredulously. "You're one to talk, Grams. You told the press the stuff about my mom and dad! After blowing up about how it was going to damage everything…you yelled and screamed about it…you're a hypocrite!"

"I will NOT be spoken to like that young lady! You should be grateful for the things I've done for you!"

I couldn't help it; I laughed. "You put me through hell and back, Grams. I am not seeing anything to be grateful for."

"GET OUT!"

"Antonio," I called, not even bothering to listen to the raging lunatic next to me, "stop the car please."

The car slowly came to a halt, and I opened the door. "You are being childish and immature, Sora!"

"Look in the mirror, Grams, look in the mirror." It felt so great to say that! "See you later, Antonio." I slammed the door and started walking towards my apartment…

Yesterday at school sucked. It seemed everyone had learned I'd done an interview and wanted to know all about it. Reporters flocked my apartment in the morning so I brought a bag full of extra clothes. When this happened, I would stay at someone else's place so I wouldn't get mauled or injured. Mom would just not leave the apartment. She understood. I told her what happened with Grams and after telling me she'd go and give "that ugly baboon" a taste of her own medicine, managed to calm down.

I was planning on staying with the Yagamis, where I spent most of two weeks ago, but they were going to be out for the weekend for their grandmother's 90th birthday party. So, Yamato and Takeru both extended an invitation.

We concocted a plan to get me out of school. Antonio would leave to get the limo and then leave without me. I would sneak out the back with Takeru, and we'd meet Yamato at his car.

It worked like a charm, and I spent the rest of the evening at their place. Mr. and Mrs. Ishida didn't mind at all, and I called my mom to tell her where I'd be. She completely understood and told me she'd call when the reporters had left. Things were fine until the 7:00 news came on. With it came my interview.

Just listening to it almost caused me to scream. I left in the middle, sick of hearing Grams' stupid responses and my failed attempts to butt in. I walked into Yamato's room and slammed the door shut. I was going to be staying in his room, and the two blonde's would be rooming in Takeru's. Mrs. Ishida demanded it was this way. "Yamato has the bigger, nicer room. You deserve to stay there, Sora, you've apparently been through a lot."

I huddled myself up in his bed and tried to calm down. Grams had really done it this time. She had gone overboard. I didn't go to a lesson today. I'm avoiding her until she decides to apologize. I know, I sound a bit childish, but after the way she treated me…wouldn't you act the same?

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn't realize Yamato had entered the room until I felt him come up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head on my shoulder. "How are you doing?"

"Shitty, Grams is a bitch."

He chuckled lightly. "From what you told me, I do not blame you for saying that. Things'll start looking up, you'll see. She'll come around."

"She just makes me so mad!"

He pulled me closer to him. "I understand. She had a lot of cruel things to say and wouldn't seem to let you answer."

"You're telling me. I don't know which answer freaked me out more: the one about her being involved in telling the paparazzi, or the one about my love life."

The blonde's embrace around me loosened. I turned my head back to face him. "Yeah, I heard she's got some guy set for you back on the Isle, huh."

"Yamato…I don't care what she says. I'm going to choose someone depending on my standards. She's talked about the guy before, and it sounds like he's exactly like her. I would never go out with him."

"But it seems like she's going to make sure, no matter what, you end up with some royal guy."

He pulled away from me and grabbed his guitar. The boy sat down on his bed and quietly began strumming a melody. "What's that?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

"I found the song you can play for Mr. R.'s class."

I forgot the subject we'd been talking about. "But I can't sing!"

He silenced me with his eyes. "I'll sing it, if you play it."

"You will?"

"Sure, I don't mind."

"What song is it? It sounds so familiar."

He gave a ghost of a smile. "It's a surprise. You'll find out when we perform it in front of Mr. R." I gave him a questioning look. "I just want you to promise me you'll have the song memorized so well that no matter what, you won't stop playing."

I was confused. I wonder why he said that. "Okay," I paused for a second. "Yamato, I want you to promise me you'll forget everything Grams said about my love life."

I didn't get a response. The only thing I heard was the guitar playing the very familiar tune. "Sora?" He finally asked, a good three minutes later, as I sat leaning against him.

"Yeah?"

"Do…do you wanna go out and catch a movie, or go on a walk or something sometime…"

A/N: Well…that went well. Lol! Please review! Hope you guys all liked it! No school on Friday so hopefully I'll have "Artistic Differences" done by then. Please review!


	15. Of Standing Up

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Some Sorato fluff at the beginning, and Grams finds out payback's a bitch! Please review!

**_Twilight:_**_ Thanks! I'm glad you like it! I used your suggestion in here this chapter; it fit quite nicely. Go ahead and add me on msn…just click my e-mail link; it's the same address for it…_

**_Sakura Arielle:_**_ Yep!_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ I thought so too…I didn't realize Grams was that mean until after I wrote it!_

**_Inconnu:_**_ I'm not telling!_

**_Sapphire dragons:_**_ Where have you been? I haven't heard from you forever! That's the only reason you're not in the responses. No, I haven't heard the song; I tried playing it but my computer's stupid…_

**_Cherryblossom Sky:_**_ My grandma's 100 percent exactly like Yamato's…no lie…_

And thanks to: **thetwentyone, sorato-takari, Kay, SoratoFan, SoraKoi The Water Goddess, Kuroi Black Nightingale, **and** Mrs. Ishida-to-you**...

Chapter 15: Of Standing Up

**Monday November 23  
Biology**

Sorry to leave off where I did. Nancy walked into see if I needed anything before bed, and I didn't get the chance to finish the entry. Wow, I'm writing this as if someone is actually reading it! Like that would ever happen. Who would want to read about my life? Ha! I could publish this someday, and let everyone see what it's really like to be me.

I'm getting off track.

As a recap: Yamato and I were sitting in his room. He was playing his guitar while I was trying to figure out what song it was. He won't tell me, and it's really bugging me. The song is so familiar but…back on track again, suddenly out of the blue he faced me.

"Do…do you wanna go out and catch a movie or go on a walk or something?"

I almost squealed; I really almost did. He was asking me out! I…think.

"Are you asking me out?"

He hadn't been expecting that answer. "Depends…would you say yes?"

I smiled at him, looking into the deep cerulean eyes that were expectantly awaiting an answer. "Depends…are you asking me out?"

Yama laughed lightly. "Yeah to both questions."

My cheeks became red. "I'd like that."

The blonde's eyes lit up, and the smile on his face grew. He stood up and pulled me up with him. "Then let's go!"

"Are you serious?" I looked out the window. "It's raining outside!"

"So?"

"So…"

"Come on; it'll be fun, I promise."

Yamato grabbed my jacket and put it on me, reaching a hand into his closet to get a coat for himself. "Mom, Dad, Sora and I are going out for awhile."

"But it's raining?" Nancy exclaimed.

"So?" The blond answered, taking my hand and leading me out the door after him.

I laughed at the look she gave us. "He's your son…"

"Where are you taking me?" I called, yelling to be heard over the downpour.

"To the park!" Yama shouted back.

"But it's…"

"So?"

"Is that the only thing you can say?" he grinned back at me as we jogged through the light downpour. Finally we reached our destination: the park near our apartments. He led us to an enclosed gazebo, and I shook myself dry. "Why'd we come here?"

"It's a nice place. We can talk here, and no one'll find us or hear us."

I smiled at him, sitting down on the ground inside the sheltered area. He joined me, pulling me close to him to keep us both warm.

"What's going on with Sora?"

I didn't have to ask for clarity; the question made perfect sense. "Grams still hates me, Dad doesn't know who to be angry at, Mom's starting to get morning sick, Mimi and the others won't talk to me…do you happen to know _Jerry Springer's_ number?" (Not mine!)

Yamato laughed, wrapping a hand in mine. "Things will be fine. They'll turn out for the better. Just remember it's not your fault."

That's what he's been telling me for the past few weeks, and frankly, I'm getting really sick of it. "Can we talk about something else, Yama? I've heard those exact words way too many times."

He turned away from me, appearing to be a bit hurt. "Yeah, sure, I was only trying to help…"

"Yama, I'm sorry for snapping at you. I just want to forget about all that crap for awhile."

"I understand; don't worry about it."

"How's the band going…"

The blond and I spent the next twenty minutes talking about completely random things ranging from our favorite college basketball teams, funny stories from school, and then drifting to "our" current standing.

"Are you sure you're okay with us, Sora? I mean, you've got so much other pressure in your life right now. I don't want you to get overstressed or anything, and I don't want to hurt you by…"

Why can't all guys be like him? How did he get to be so smart and caring? "If we take this slowly, we'll be fine."

"So what are we officially?" Yama asked while we both darted out of the gazebo.

"Casually seeing each other?"

"In the same boat as Takeru and Hikari?"

I laughed. "That's a good way to put it. But, Yama, can we just not tell anyone? It's that I don't want anyone to…"

He held up a hand to silence me before offering it to me. "I understand completely. Let's head back to my place…"

We ran through the rain and shortly made it back to the Ishidas. Yama's parents were gone, out to card club, so the two blondes and I popped _Troy_ into the DVD player. (Not mine!)

The three of us had a fun night, and Yamato couldn't help but crack a few jokes about Orlando Bloom not having blond hair or being as tough as he was in _Lord of the Rings._ (Not mine either!) I shut him up with a pillow in the face, starting a little pillow fight—Takeru and I against Yamato…guess who won—that lasted until their parents returned.

We went to bed around 1 am when the Ishidas did get home, and it looks like for once, something good is going on in my life…

**Wednesday November 25  
My Room**

Usually the last day before Thanksgiving is lethargic and boring. But that was definitely not the case today…

My morning classes fit the clichéd description very well. Other than the game of Juega—Bingo—in Spanish 2, there was nothing too great about it.

I had an awesome time with Taichi, Takeru, and Yama in the Resource Room, though. We listened to Taichi's hilarious impersonation of his family and their little reunion over the weekend.

"So yeah, we had our family Thanksgiving because it was my grandma's birthday and all, and the whole family was there. Grandma demanded that we let her make the turkey and get it ready even though plenty of other people volunteered. But Grandma yelled and hollered about how she may be ninety years old, but she knows how to make the best damn turkey on the whole east side of Chicago. Who were we to argue?"

"Well what's so bad about that?" Yamato asked. "Your grandma's a good cook. I've eaten some of her food before and thought it was good."

Taichi sighed. "She usually is a good cook, but she did something horrible!"

Takeru laughed. "Did she burn it?"

He shook his head. "Undercook it?" I asked.

"No…she, she made TURKEY LOAF!"

That's just Taichi for you…

Things stayed a little interesting—to the point where I at least didn't fall asleep in any of my classes. But everything really cumulated and happened during eighth period Music Appreciation.

Mr. R. had started us on the song's that described our lives. We were going in alphabetical order and each person had to bring in a recording of the song along with lyrics to put up on the overhead. When the song was done, we would have to explain how the lyrics applied to our lives.

I was having a really hard time finding a fitting song. But one day, while hiding in the back hall of the apartment, dodging reporters, I heard it playing from someone's room.

Being that my name ends in T, I was to present on the last day. Actually I ended up the last one. Sometimes it sucks being at the end, but at least I didn't have to go first.

I knew some of the songs my classmates chose but was in the dark for others. A few people chose ballads, a few more rap, and even a classical piece chosen by the boy genius, Koushiro.

Finally it was my turn.

All eyes were on me as I reached the front of the room. I hastily put the lyrics on the projector and offered the cd to Mr. R.

**(A/N: I had to take out the lyrics. If you want to read them, go to a search engine, type in lyrics, and look for the song "Welcome to My Life" by Simple Plan. Or just e-mail me, and I can get them to you!)**

The class stared at me. "Sora, do you have an explanation for the lyrics?" (Welcome to My Life" by Simple Plan—not mine!)

I nodded. "It's not like I want to kill myself, if that's what any of you were alluding to." A few light chuckles escaped the room. "Do you guys have any idea what it's like being me? Everyone automatically assumes it's all rainbows and butterflies, being a princess and all. You all think it's an easy task. But you're so wrong!"

No one said anything; no motion was made to interrupt me. "The last few weeks have been hell! Reporters swarm me, asking shallow questions and wanting corny responses. A couple of my friends have ditched me because I didn't tell them I was a princess since I couldn't tell ANYONE!"

Mimi, Miyako, and Christine all exchanged a guilty look. But I just ignored them.

"My grandmother goes out of her way to screw things up for me, and so many people are fake around me. I don't want to be treated like Princess Sora; I just want to be treated like a normal teen…"

DING! DING!

The final bell of the day rang, signifying the end of class. "Have a good vacation everyone!" Mr. R. called out.

"Muy bien, Princesa." Antonio smiled at me as I gathered my things. (Very good/well)

"It felt great to get that off my chest."

"I'm sure it did."

We walked out the door, both glad we didn't have to come back here for another five days. I caught Mimi's eye on the way out. Maybe what I said got through…

**Thursday November 26  
My Apartment**

Taichi would have been jealous of the feast I was offered today for my Thanksgiving Day meal.

Mom and I—and of course Mr. R.—were planning on spending a nice quiet day at home, watching the parade and football games on TV. Unfortunately, Dad called with some pathetic news. He demanded we make amends with Grams and have Thanksgiving dinner with her in the hotel.

Well, after a combined total of one hour arguing, debating, and screaming with Dad, Mom and I sadly lost. We agreed to go to the dinner Grams was having, but only promised to attempt formalities. If Grams snapped, we would bite back.

Mom called Mr. R., inviting him to come, but he quickly turned down the flattering invitation. I don't blame him at all.

Grams was hosting a huge dinner party for some ambassadors and a bunch of other rich people. Not knowing what to wear, as we weren't formally invited, Mom chose jeans and a t-shirt while I opted for jeans and a hooded sweatshirt from Old Navy. (Not mine!) It's not like we were told the dress code.

I called Antonio who very readily offered to pick us up. Grams could be heard in the background, screaming in rapid Spanish, and I could tell he wanted nothing more than to get out of the room the party was held in and far away from her.

"Ella es muy loca!" He exclaimed when he reached our apartment. (She is very crazy!)

"I could have told you that." Mom answered dryly after I translated it for her.

The limo ride was quiet, and we were all very happy to find no reporters outside the hotel when we arrived.

"Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, what are you wearing?" Grams shrieked upon noticing us.

"Clothes; did you expect me to come naked?"

"That is not funny, young lady."

"I thought it was." Mom answered, glaring daggers at the woman whose vulture eyes returned the stare. "Let's sit down, Sor."

It appeared we'd arrived about ten minutes early. The caterers were just putting this huge-ass turkey onto the table.

"I bet Taichi could eat the whole thing by himself." I whispered to Mom.

"Easily," she replied.

An arm grabbed onto each of us as we were about to sit down in two of the chairs. Grams pulled us into the area the food was being prepared. "You don't have seats; you weren't invited!"

"Dad invited us."

"Against my wishes."

"Admit it, abuelita," I purposely provoked her, "you wouldn't care if it was just me. You love to show me off and make a false image of me."

Grams was fuming. "You are a princess. Act like one!"

"She's also just a teenager who would like to live a normal life, as normal as it can possibly get. You're trying to ruin it for her though!"

"You don't know anything about this! You're not royalty so stay out of it!"

SPLAT!

I burst out laughing and couldn't stop. Mom had been searching for some sort of weapon to use against Grams and finally found the perfect one. The mashed potatoes.

Grams face was now covered in a huge handful of potatoes. Antonio was trying not to chuckle as he saw Grams. "You ready to go home, Sora?"

"Of course, Mom. Yo, you wanna join us?"

He nodded. "I'm going to take them back. You need not worry about saving me any food."

Grams only glared at us, potato falling from her aged face, as we walked out. "That was great, Señora Takenouchi! She was making me crazy."

Mom, who'd been breathing rather hard and turned very red in the face, seemed to calm down. "I can't believe I just did that."

"I'm glad you did that. Maybe Grams'll get off her high horse and see others points of view..."

Ironically, the rest of our day turned out exactly as we had planned it. We stayed at home, watching the game, yelling at the refs for their stupid calls. Mr. R. came over, and later in the afternoon I invited Yama and the others to come over. We had a great time together, Yama and I took on Takeru and Hikari in all sorts of video games; the older blond and I winning quite impressively. Taichi meanwhile discussed things—I'm not too sure what—with Antonio. And I'm pretty sure Antonio was lost as well. But the best part of the day was by far something—go figure—Taichi had to say.

"So, Sor, you gave up this gigantic turkey and all that great food to eat here?" he asked after we'd explained what had happened. "What'd you guys eat here?"

I smirked and leaned over, whispering something in his ear. "What? You gave up an incredibly large turkey to eat TURKEY LOAF?..."

A/N: I couldn't resist…sounds like my family…lol! Please review! I'm off to go to work and then get my prom dress altered...please review!


	16. Of Compromises and Dancing

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine!

A/N: I need more spare time! Lol! Hopefully, I'll have "Artistic Differences" up by next weekend. I've got two soccer games this week, prom decorating stuff, pit orchestra for our musical, solo-ensemble contest for band, and my favorite…the ACT tests on Saturday. Could be worse, I guess. Please review!

**_Yamatoishida27:_**_ After the first chapter…_

**_Cherryblossom Sky: _**_Turkey__ loaf is something my grandma makes…_

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ It's kinda like Sora's in "To the Highest Bidder", but I so didn't plan it that way! It's black with beads on the top, then goes to silky black, then at the bottom turns to this grayish silver. It's got spaghetti straps too, and wasn't very expensive, thankfully! Lol!_

**_Twilight:_**_ They won't be like that forever…_

**_Inconnu:_**_ You'll find out…eventually…_

**_Sapphire Dragons: _**_Maybe…were you reviewing by your name or just anonymous or something? _

And thanks to:** sorato-takari, Kuroi Black Nightingale Mrs. Ishida-to-you, Ballet Kitty, KoumiLoccness, **and **Dark Magician and Holy Mage. **

**Dedication: My Name is R.C.:** Thanks for the translations back in Chapter 13, chica! I never properly thanked you!

Chapter 16: Of Compromises and Dancing

**Sunday November 30  
****Kitchen—Officially 21 more days till I leave for PPI…**

I can't believe it. It seems as if my final days here in Chicago are coming to an end. The countdown is on; I'm still in shock I have to move there.

Dad called last night to check up on the "Grams situation". He's still not very happy we haven't resolved it and is absolutely livid with Mom for the whole throwing potatoes thing.

"Sora, you must make amends with her."

"Papá she won't even listen to me. Grams is so stubborn. She doesn't believe anyone is right if they have a different opinion than she does."

He sighed, and an image of him raking a hand through his hair in frustration embedded itself in my mind. "Just try, honey, just try. I would hate for the two of you to argue all the time when you get here."

"Um…actually, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"Sora…"

I've got to make this worthwhile. "You guys are asking me to pack up and move to Prince Phillipe's Isle when everything I know is here. Can't I just stay here and finish up school in the US? I'll be learning a lot, getting a very high education. Besides, there are so many people here that I don't want to leave this early, particularly Mom and my friends who have stuck by me through this whole thing. It's going to be so hard to adapt."

"But the only way you'll learn about the land and government properly is to be here. Sora, I will step down from the throne, passing the crown onto you when I turn fifty."

"That's a long time from now…"

"It's only twelve years. Time goes by quickly."

Only twelve years? That means I inherit the title of Queen at the age of twenty-eight! Will I have to be married by then? I had to ask.

"It is my hope, yes, you will be married."

"Papà, please don't say it'll be an arranged marriage."

"Sora, you have my word—I will never force you to marry for any reason other than love. I cannot dictate who you fall in love with. You should be able to decide. Your grandmother tried to get me to and…"

I rolled my eyes. "So you also believe Grams is stubborn?"

"That's beside the point. Look, apologize to your abuelita. Make amends. I will consider what you asked me."

There's a definite no.

"Please don't just consider. Think about how you would feel if you were in my position."

"Goodbye, hija, I must get to a meeting."

"Yeah, bye." I answered half-heartedly.

What a great way to end my day. I really wish I didn't have to do any of this. Now I'm feeling depressed…

**Tuesday December 2  
****My Room—Officially 19 more days till I leave for PPI…**

Today was the single weirdest day I've ever had since finding out I was a princess. Things were normal at school for the first half of the day.

Classes were dull, as usual, and I was really looking forward to being in the Resource Room so I could see Yamato. We hadn't told anyone about our relationship status. Taichi has such a huge mouth that soon the school would know and then the media and then my dad…yeah, it'll be better to NOT tell anyone.

I walked into the room, settling myself in the chair next to the blond. "Hey,"

"Hey yourself. What's up?"

"Nothing much; I've got an English quiz this afternoon."

He chuckled. "That sounds like a blast."

We talked casually between ourselves, but I stopped as Mimi and Koushiro walked in. She didn't say anything scathing to me like she quite often did. Instead, my pink-haired former friend said nothing at all. Maybe the song I played before break had some effect. Who knows?

Yamato and I continued our conversation, and I invited him over to watch a movie Friday night. We do a lot of movie watching at one of our apartments. It's just easier than going out in public. But I guess I will someday—most likely soon—be forced to make an appearance in the open. I can wait for that day; it doesn't have to come anytime soon.

Suddenly, the phone ringing interrupted my thoughts and our conversation. "Sora, you're supposed to leave for your doctor's appointment."

"Doctor's appointment?" Antonio and I asked at the same time.

"Yes, your mom's waiting for you."

The Latino man and I exchanged a look. Since when did I have a doctor's appointment and Mom have free time during the day?

"Okay," I stood up, gathering my books and telling my friends goodbye.

"Something is up, Princesa."

"You're telling me," I replied as we first went to my locker, dumping off my collection of books before heading to the main office to sign out. Walking out the door, our mouths both dropped. "What are you doing here?"

"I do not appreciate that tone of voice, young lady." Grams was still as snooty as ever. I guess cleaning the mashed potatoes out of her hair didn't make a difference. "Antonio, get the limo!"

He nodded, bowing down, and jetting off as fast as he could. I didn't blame him for not wanting to be around her.

I stared her down. "Why did you pull me out of school? I thought you weren't talking to me? And how'd you get here?"

She said nothing so I continued to stare at her, my hope being that she'd get so annoyed and talk to me in frustration. It didn't work the way I hoped it would. The limo pulled up, "Get in."

"Grams, I have a test soon."

"You can make it up. Get in the car."

I glared at her, but, sadly, my resolve failed. I drug my body into the car, and in one fluid motion, Grams followed, shutting the door behind her.

"Drive us around the city, Antonio."

He nodded again, driving away and wisely shut the screen that divided the two halves of the limo. I didn't blame him. He'd still hear us—most likely—screaming, but should one of us rip the other's head off, he wouldn't be able to see it.

"Why did you get me out of class? How did you get here? I thought you weren't speaking to me."

"I took a taxi here after receiving a call from your father. He insists we reconcile our differences immediately. So, I am willing to accept a simple apology on your part and forget the whole thing."

She. Wants. Me. To. Apologize?

"If anyone owes an apology, it's you Grams. You lied to me and are purposely going out of your way to make everything in my life a living hell!"

"Do not take that tone…"

"Shut up!" I yelled back at her. "Do you ever think about anything but royalty and appearance? There's more to life than that! I have to give up everything important to me in the next month, and all you can say to it is that my dress for the gala had better be a pastel color." I cited an old argument we'd had.

She was silent, apparently unable to think of a flashy comeback.

"It's good to hear you're finally listening to me. Grams, I'm willing to work through these differences of ours civilly and forget this crap ever happened, but it's going to take both of us. Are you wanting to compromise for the good of the Isle, Papà and our relationship as grandmother and granddaughter?"

Where the hell am I getting this? It's like…out of nowhere I got the courage and inspiration to preach my mind and take control of things. Maybe I do have the oratory skills to help me be a good queen.

She looked a bit shocked to hear me so brash and bold. Grams was sitting there still, and I could tell my words got through. Loud and clear.

"I'm open to hear what you have to say," she murmured, finally regaining the ability to speak.

"Number one; don't make decisions about my life for me. You aren't me; you don't always know what I need. I'll hear your opinions regarding the subject, but I want to make my own decisions."

Her lips pursed up, reminding me way too much of someone who'd just eaten a lemon. She sighed. "Granted,"

Well, one down. "I want you and Papá to consider letting me stay here through at least high school."

The woman glared at me. "I don't believe that is a good idea at all, Sora."

"Just think about it, that's all I'm asking."

Grams had nothing to say for a few minutes. I nervously tapped my foot, anticipating her answer, really praying it was what I wanted to hear. She took a few deep breaths. I bit my lip, hungry for her reply. Finally: "I will think about it, but do not expect the answer you are awaiting. Do you have any other demands?"

The comment was meant to mock me, and I just plain ignored it. I wasn't going to stoop to her level. "I want a few of my close friends to be allowed to come to Prince Phillipe's Isle with me for the celebration. If I must stay there, I want a proper farewell with those closest to me."

"I suppose that wish could be acceptable as long as you do not overdo the number of people you choose to invite."

"Thank you, Grams. Do you have anything you want of me?"

She nodded, which, of course, I knew was coming. "You must continue on with your lessons, starting immediately, after school. Sora, there is so much left for you to learn and missing all those days impeded your knowledge greatly. I will not have you make a fool of the family name when you are introduced because you do not display proper etiquette. Also, you must schedule a few more interviews, opening your persona to the world…"

"I'm willing to try as long as you don't put words in my mouth again…"

I could tell Grams was having a hard time accepting what I'd said. "I suppose so. Antonio, take her back to school…"

I managed to get back with just enough time to cram for the test. After school was my first lessons with Grams in quite some time. She and I were formally civil, and thankfully, no arguments broke out.

At least one problem is resolved…

**Friday December 5  
****My Room—Officially 16 more days till I leave for PPI…**

"Wow, you could fit like twenty of our school into here!"

Hikari chuckled at her brother's comment. "I never thought I'd ever enter a ballroom. It seems like something out of a fairy tale."

"If you believe this is large, you will be amazed at the one inside the castle." Antonio answered.

"As long as the kitchen and dining rooms are that large, I will be very happy."

Guess who said that.

Taichi, Yama, Takeru, Hikari, Antonio, and I all entered the large dancing room, walking to my lesson with Grams. Actually, it was _our_ lesson with her.

Yesterday, she told me that I'd be learning the proper way to dance, as it'd be an important part of the celebration. "Your friends attending the ball must all come as well. I will not have them being the laughing stock…"

Same old arrogant witch.

So there we were. Antonio had driven us all there after school. It was this huge ancient place, the same one Mom and Mr. R. had gone dancing at the night of the blizzard. But I've got a strong feeling the type of dancing they did is a bit different than what we must learn.

"There you are! You are five minutes late!"

Antonio took over, keeping me from biting back with a sarcastic comment. "There was horrible traffic." He turned to me. "Princesa Sora, presentarle a tu amigos." (Introduce your friends.)

"Oh yes…Grams, these are my four closest friends: Taichi and Hikari Yagami and Yamato and Takeru Ishida."

Grams nodded to each. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Hikari kindly greeted.

"Lesson number one, when greeting a royal, a curtsy is expected."

Hikari looked at her in shock. "I…I'm sorry," the girl answered, this time bending down to curtsy.

Grams appeared ready to indignantly protest against something or other, but I took the chance to stop her. "Are we ready to begin?"

"Of course," Apparently I distracted her, "Everyone get with your partner."

We stood there, looking from face to face. Antonio took the chance to escape, obviously knowing what was going on.

"Partners!" Grams cried. "Get with your dance partner."

"Dance partner?" A very confused Taichi questioned.

She gave him a menacing glare that would've made any grown man cry. "Lesson two; do not question the things one of royalty tells you! Follow proper etiquette."

I moved towards Yamato and saw him smiling at me, very relieved he hadn't been the one to question her. "Be my partner?"

"Did you have to ask?"

Taichi looked around as Takeru and Hikari stood together. "What about me?"

"You will be my partner?"

The brunette couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. "Yo…your partner?"

"Did you not just hear what I said to you?"

He gulped. "Yes, ma'am." Taichi bowed for effect, not knowing he was saving his sorry ass from further chastising by doing so.

"Approach your partner. Gentlemen, put your arm around the lady's waist. Ladies, place your hand on his shoulder daintily. Touch lightly; do not grab or squeeze, it is not lady-like. Now both of you should interlock your free hand together. Sora! Do not intertwine your fingers with his."

My hand had done just that, and rolling my eyes, I changed my hand's position. Yamato grinned at me when she turned her back, and I fought the urge to laugh. Grams moved back to Taichi, using him as the example, demonstrating this "perfect posture" Yama and I couldn't achieve. Taichi looked very uncomfortable. Fear had completely taken over him. But who could blame him? I wouldn't wish anyone get stuck with that crazy bat.

"You boy! Fix your grip."

Yamato snickered as he pulled me closer to him, following the most recent instructions Grams gave us. "I feel a bit sorry for Tai."

"Better he than you." I answered.

The blond gave me an irresistible grin. "I'm glad you think so because I would much rather dance with you any day."

Grams walked by, perfecting each group's stances. "Move closer," she hissed at the blond and me. "You are not close enough. This type of dancing requires close body movement." She moved over to Takeru and Hikari, and Yama winked at me. "I think I'm going to like this dancing thing…"

"One two three! One two three…one two three…one two three. Gentlemen! Lead your partners. The ladies are supposed to be submissive!" Okay, that really didn't sound right.

We'd been at this for two hours. It hadn't been as bad as I imagined it would be. Yama and I weren't horrible at it. We were far from being experts but definitely had more luck than the two youngest.

Takeru was supposed to lead, but Kari always wanted to. The result: both of them would probably go home and soak their sore feet.

Taichi and Grams were a completely different story. The traditional role of male leading had gone out the window from the very start. Grams was in control, dragging Tai from one spot to another.

Antonio reentered the room, pausing to stop the music Grams had started a long time back. "You have an urgent phone call from su hijo."

Thank you Dad! Grams broke her stance, and Tai gave a huge sigh of relief. "I will be back soon."

I gave a large smile as she left the room. "That was horrible!" Hikari cried out.

"How much longer are we here?" An exasperated Takeru asked.

I shrugged. "Who knows? Grams isn't good about setting exact times."

"Well, as long as we can get some decent music now that the devil's gone…" Taichi pulled out a cd he'd brought in with him, placing it in the cd player. It was a burned mix of some of the more popular songs heard on the radio.

As a slow number began, I took my hand out of Yamato's comfortable grip and draped both arms around his neck. His arms, in turn, encircled my waist. "This is more my style."

"You're telling me," I answered. We swayed together, very comfortable in each others embrace. I rested my head down on his chest. Shutting my eyes in contentment, I only opened them when the blond let out a light chuckle muffled as his lips were brushed against my hair.

I moved my head, looking up to see a hilarious sight. Taichi and Takeru were dancing together, attempting to show Hikari how much easier it was if she tried not to lead.

"So, I take it you and your grandmother are at least talking now?'

"I guess, but at times I want nothing more than to rip her head off."

He laughed. "I see why. She's an interesting figure. I much prefer my crazy Grandma to that old coot."

"That she is," I paused before smiling up at him. "I'm glad she's letting you come to the Isle. It could be the last time I see you…"

His face lowered down to mine, our foreheads now nearly touching. "I'll make it my job to visit you at least once," he whispered, "a month…"

My face turned a light shade of red as blood rushed to it from his flirting. I shut my eyes as I felt his lips descending towards mine.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"

Yama and I broke away before either one of us could initiate the much wanted kiss. Grams stormed over to where the music was, shutting it off. She began rattling off in Spanish. I broke away from the blond, hurrying over to her, trying to figure out a way to calm her down.

"Grams, everyone is exhausted. Can we call it a day and try again later?"

She sighed. "I suppose. Practice, all of you. You need it badly. We'll have another lesson next week." No good job, no nothing. But that was to be expected. That's Grams for you. Always a sweet nice little…

Shit! Yama's going to be here in ten minutes, and I'm not ready for our date! I'll write about that later…

A/N: Please review!


	17. Of Finding Out

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been so incredibly busy, and I've kind of lost interest in this story. But don't worry, I will finish it. I think I was a bit inspired by the end of this chapter. So, please R&R! **And to anyone who reads "Undercover", it HAS been updated recently. The author alerts weren't working then…**

**_My Name is R.C.:_**_ Expect your other dedication to appear in a different story sometime in the near distant future._

**_Crazyamzy:_**_ ACTs went well. I got a 29, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to retake them sometime, hoping I can get a higher score. I did best on English, go figure. _

**_Cherryblossom Sky:_**_ I can't say we've ever had to dance here. Not at least since music class is 4th grade. But that was a long long time ago._

**_Sorato-takari:_**_ Thanks!_

**_BalletKitty:_**_ Glad you liked it!_

**_KoumiLoccness: _**_Thanks!_

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ Yep, mean about sums up Grams' character…_

**_RandomThoughts101:_**_Thanks! I got a few of the Spanish translations from an online translator, and after my most recent project for Spanish during school, I learned never to do that again. My Spanish really isn't **that **bad, it's the fact I don't know a lot of the words I need in here. Thanks for offering to help, though. My Name is R.C. helps me with translations, but I may just take you up on that offer sometime._

Chapter 17:Of Finding Out

**Saturday December 7  
****My Room—Officially 14 days till I leave for PPI…**

I can't believe I woke up so late. It's 1:30 in the afternoon, and I just rose. Mom normally freaks if I sleep past 9:30, something about getting nothing done by sleeping. But when I walked into the bathroom, passing Mom's room, she was fast asleep. Must be the pregnancy.

Last night was incredible. And I did promise to write about it…

Yamato arrived almost at the exact time I set the notebook down. I walked out the door, opening it, only to be greeted by some fresh daffodils and box full of pizza.

"Hey,"

"Hey…that smells good."

He grinned at me. "The flowers or the pizza?"

"Both," I happily replied, taking the flowers out of his arms and motioning for him to set the pizza on the table.

"Sounds good. I also brought this," He held up a DVD in his hands, and I started to laugh. "What?"

"_The Incredibles_? Yamato, you are _such_ a kid!" (Not mine!)

"Come on," he reasoned, "you told me the other day that you wanted to see it too."

"Alright," I called back, grabbing some plates of the shelf. We each took a slice of the sausage pizza and sat down on the couch. "So what's up?"

"I'm still trying to shake off those stupid dance lessons."

I laughed. "You're telling me. At least you're only going to have to do it this once; I'm going to have to dance like that at any royal festivity. Apparently Grams doesn't want me to embarrass myself—well, more likely her."

"How are preparations for that going?"

"I have a feeling Grams is going to turn into a huge dictator in the next few weeks. I leave for the Isle on the 21st and…Yama, are you okay?"

I reached over and patted his back as he choked on the pizza. "Are we all leaving with you on that day?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I audition at Julliard on the 20th. It was the only time I could fit it in."

My face fell. "So…you won't be able to get…"

"I'll be there. I swear to you that I will not miss your crowning or the gala."

I could tell my face had turned red. "You are too sweet, Yamato."

He smirked at me. "Sugary." I laughed at his joke as he grabbed us each another slice of pizza, and I got up, grabbing some chocolate mints to get rid of the aftertaste. "Where's your mom at?"

"She's at Mr. R's like always. They're trying to figure out everything now, like who's going to move in with whom." I replied, placing the DVD in the player.

Yamato let out a sigh, finishing off his pizza and popping a mint in his mouth. "So are they going to get married?"

I forced a small smile, eating the last of my pizza and grabbing a mint as well. "It seems like it's leaning towards marriage. They're talking about all the things revolving around it. But they're also discussing baby stuff."

"Do they know if it's a boy or girl?"

Shrugging, I faced him. "Mom says she doesn't want to know yet. We'll just have to wait and see." He smirked at me. "What?"

"I hope it's a boy."

My eyes narrowed. "Well, I hope it's a girl."

Yamato gave a haughty laugh. "Boys are better."

"No they're not. They could turn out like Taichi." I defended.

"But they could turn out like me."

I dramatically fell back onto the couch. "Then we're all damned to hell."

"That one hurt." He growled, pointing to his heart and moving closer to me.

I sat up a bit. "You deserved it."

We continued to move closer together, each knowing what was coming next. "Not really, but being the nice guy I am and all, I'll take the blame and apologize."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Like this…" He whispered, lips touching down on mine. I eagerly shut my eyes as I responded to the kiss. His lips brushed up against mine slowly at first then gaining speed.

I let out a small gasp as I felt his tongue brush up against my lips, asking for entrance. Hesitantly I let it in, but soon our tongues were locked in battle. And I thought kissing him before was heaven.

I wrapped my arms around him, raking my hands through his blond hair. Yamato pulled me closer to him, finally breaking the kiss to get a breath of air.

"Wow," I had time to pant before he reclaimed my lips. Our kissing started again, and he gently began to lower me down to the couch, coming down above me. I pulled away from the action. "Yama?"

"Yeah?" He looked down at me.

"This is going a bit too fast and…"

The blonde's face blanched. "Oh, God, Sor…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I just got caught up…"

"It's okay. It just kind of freaked me out a little bit."

"I'm sorry," He apologized again, leaning up so I could move.

I let out a light laugh despite myself. "Yama, it's okay. You can stop apologizing."

"I just…" Yamato gave a frustrated sigh. "I just don't want to do anything stupid to lose you." My lips found his, and when I pulled away, he was wearing an adorably confused look. "What was that for?"

"For being so sweet to me. Yamato, stop worrying about it. I understand. I just don't want to rush us or anything. Let's forget about it and concentrate on something more important. I heard this DVD has a special feature where Jack-Jack gets his powers…"

"That babysitter is crazy!" The blond was roaring with laughter, and I couldn't blame him. This was such a funny movie. "She kind of reminds me of Taichi."

I gave him a sideways look. "Tai's not _that_ gullible. But that was such a great movie."

"What happened to being a kid for liking this?" He smirked at me.

Not wanting to be defeated and knowing how not to, I felt my confidence level rise. "Could a kid do this?" I shut my eyes, moving in for the kill. The last thing I saw was his irresistible grin, and our lips met again. One of his hands was lightly caressing my cheek while the other cupped my face, bringing us closer together.

"Sora, I'm hom…oh, are we interrupting something?"

At the sound of Mom's voice, Yama and I pulled away from each other. My face heated up, and I knew his had to look the same as Mom and Mr. R. stood at the door.

"Oh. Mom…I…"

She held up a hand. "We'll just go into the kitchen."

Yamato stood up. "Actually, I was about ready to leave."

"We'll still be in the kitchen. Take your time, kids." Mom called, the two adults leaving us alone once more.

The blond helped me to my feet, and we walked to the door together. "I'll call you sometime tomorrow."

He leaned down, and I buried myself in his embrace. "Okay. God, that was so embarrassing."

"Do you think they'll mind? She didn't look ready to chop my head off for kissing her baby."

I gave him a sly smile. "Mom won't care, but I bet she'll ask a lot of questions."

Yama winked at me, pulling away and opening the door. "Have fun with the Inquisition."

Shutting the door, I came back into the room, only to find Mom and Mr. R. both standing there with huge-ass grins on their faces. "Are you going to share all the gory details?..."

**Tuesday December 10  
****Algebra 2—Officially 11 days till I leave for PPI**

Well, Mom and Mr. R. aren't the only ones who know about my relationship with Yamato. But I got the response I expected from them. It's the others who know and their response that are putting me in a very pissed off mood…

Quite honestly, I don't care if the first two know. They would've found out eventually anyway. And it's not like either of them are bothered by it.

Mom likes Yamato and is good friends with his parents. She's always gotten along with him well. And Yama's like Mr. R.'s favorite student ever because he's so involved in music and so good at it.

"So, I take it you and Yamato have something going on?" Mom asked with a cheeky grin.

I know I was as red as a cooked lobster. "Yeah,"

Mr. R. grinned at me too. "I don't see anything wrong with that. Yamato is a fine young man."

"Sora, I'm okay with the two of you together, just don't do anything you'll regret with him. Don't rush things if you're not ready for it."

"I know, Mom." I rolled my eyes, a bit embarrassed at her talk.

Thankfully that talk didn't last long at all. Mom and Mr. R. made fun of me for about fifteen minutes longer before my teacher decided to leave.

After he walked out the door, she pulled me aside. "Sora, honey, good luck with everything with Yamato. I know it's going to be hard on you, considering everything that's happened lately, but I know you'll be able to get through it."

"Thanks, Mom."

She yawned. "I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to hit the hay. I'll see you in the morning, sweetie."

"Goodnight…"

Yesterday was the day everyone—well, the others who know—found out. It started simply with Antonio. He found out after school as Yamato and I walked out together, talking between ourselves about random things. "Princesa, it's time to go to your lesson."

"I'm coming, Yo. Give me five more minutes."

"The clock is ticking."

I rolled my eyes. "So are you helping decorate for the Winter Wonderland Dance this weekend?" Yama asked me.

"Yeah, it sounds like it's going to be lots of fun."

"You're telling me. My band's performing a few numbers so you'd better be sure to save me at least one dance."

I smirked. "As long as it's not the kind of dancing Grams was having us do."

"Do you think I really want to dance like that if I don't have to?"

"Point taken,"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you going with anyone?"

I placed my hands on my hips. "Yamato Ishida…"

"I know, I know. Will you go with me?"

"Did you expect any different?"

"Not really," Yamato answered, "but I had to make sure. I won't be able to be with you the whole time though because the band has to play. You can hang out with Taichi then."

"Doesn't he have a date?"

"He's flying solo, hoping to catch the eye of some "lucky girl"."

I laughed. "That does sound a lot like Taichi. I guess he'll just be my date then."

Yamato's blue eyes narrowed, but I saw the playfulness resting within them. "Then I'd have to be jealous."

"Don't worry; I'll be waiting for you."

"Princesa, I am waiting for you right now. You can discuss your plans with your novio later. Right now, we are late!" Antonio called. I blushed at the use of Spanish (novio equals boyfriend.)

Yamato waved. "I'll call you later."

"Okay, see you."

I got into the limo and as Antonio climbed into the driver's side seat, I felt his eyes on me. "What?"

"So you finally got together with him, huh?"

My face heated up. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you do. You and the chico rubio are together. Congratulations, Princesa."

"You don't sound too mad about it, Yo."

I saw him smile in the rearview mirror. "Why would I be mad about you getting together with him? If it was anyone else, I may be concerned. But from what I can tell, and from the way he helped you through the darkness, I believe he is a good choice." He smirked again.

"What now?"

"You just confirmed that the two of you are together."

I glared at him, trying to keep my blush from getting even larger. "Just…just…shut up…"

"It's about time!" Grams demanded when we entered the hotel suite.

"Ella hablaba con su novio."

"What did you just say?" Grams demanded.

"She was talking to her boyfriend." Antonio replied, this time in English. Either way Grams understood it. Clutching my head, I sat down on the couch. Here comes World War III.

"Sora Isabel Anamaría Olivarez, what is the meaning of this?"

I flinched; sure people on the main floor could hear her as well.

"Grams please don't freak out. Yamato and I aren't going out; we're just kind of slowly starting to date, to see if someday we do want to go out and be a couple."

"He's not royal. There are plenty of lords or dukes on the Isle that I'm sure you'll find incredibly charming."

"Grams, you can't tell me whom I can love!"

"You LOVE him? Oh, Haruhiko's going to have a heart attack." Her hands grabbed for her phone.

Shit. No, don't do this…

"I don't care! Put him through to me!" Grams apparently trampled over what stood in her way. "Haruhiko, Sora tiene un novio." (Sora has a boyfriend.)

"WHAT?"

"That's what Antonio says. And your daughter told me she loves him."

"¿Dónde está Sora?" (Where is Sora?")

"Aquí." (Here.)

"Quiero hablar con ella inmediatamente.." (I want to talk to her immediately!)

Grams handed me the phone. "Papá…"

"Sora…explain yourself right now." His voice held a strong anger.

"He's not officially my boyfriend, papá. We're just casually seeing each other, nothing too serious, trying to figure out if we go well together."

"Have the two of you kissed?"

"¡Papá!"

"Answer the question…"

I sighed. "Yes…"

"Does your mother know?" He growled into the phone.

"Sí, papá, and she's not mad. Neither Yamato nor I know if anything will get serious from there. Please don't stand in our way."

"Do you love him?" I was silent. "Sora?"

"It's so new and fast to me, Papá. I don't love him…" **Yet**, but I have a feeling I'm falling for him fast. I heard my father sigh and knew I gave the right answer.

"Is he coming to the Isle?"

Talk about the Inquisition. "Yes, papá."

"I want to meet him, to decide if he's good enough for you. I know I can't stop you from being with or around him, but I want to meet this boy."

It's a start, I guess.

"Papá, I have to get back to my lesson with Grams."

"Goodbye, hija."

I hung up, shoving the phone back in Grams' hands. I could only glare at her.

"Sora, let's not get in another petty fight."

"Whatever," I answered, "can we just get on with the lesson?"

"I just want to see you happy." She wouldn't drop the topic.

"And you assume I need to be with someone of royalty for that to happen?"

"It's…I…what…"

"Grams, times have changed. Things are different than they were years ago. When I fall for someone, I want it to be for love, not because I'm forced to because of my status." She was silent. "What's on the lesson plan for today?..."

**Thursday December 12  
****Art I—Officially 9 days till I leave for PPI…**

I survived the lesson with Grams. She dropped the topic, but I could see she was feeling a bit guilty. Maybe my talk got through to her.

Antonio apologized for blowing the secret, but I forgave him for telling her. It wasn't really his fault. Knowing Grams, she would have found someway to find out about our relationship.

Speaking of relationships…

Jennifer Jones and Jacob Richards are finished. Done. Over. History. It happened this morning in front of the whole school.

Yo and I entered, listening to the chants of fight circulate across the school. We headed for the center, both wondering who was involved.

"I'm sick of you trying to use people and pretend that you're so great." Jacob spat at the girl.

"Well you know what," She yelled back through tears, "you are so arrogant and egotistical. I pity any girl who would give you the time of day."

"We're finished!" They exclaimed in unison.

It's been the gossip of the school all day. Students and teachers alike have been commenting about it. You hear it everywhere; from the bathrooms to the classrooms to the gym and the hallways.

And somehow, I've now found myself in the thick of things.

I stopped at my locker after third period to grab my books, only to find a note fall out of my locker, hitting me on the head. "What's that?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know," I answered. "It's probably from Yama."

_Sora,  
__I need to talk to you. Meet me in the science hallway during first lunch today.  
__Jacob Richards_

I have no idea what this is about, and I really don't know if I want to find out. I'd rather stay out of the gossip and drama. There's enough of that in my life the way it is. Fifth period's coming up soon. I wonder what he wants…

A/N: Twists and turns are coming. Next chapter'll be big. Please review!


	18. Of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and the chapter title (Song by Green Day) are not mine!

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ Your request is being considered…_

**_Anonymous:_**_ Thank you!_

**_My Name is R.C.:_**_ Me? Planning something? You're muy loca! Lol! Actually, I am planning something and this time, I actually know what's going to happen! That's a first! lol!_

**_Liljay07:_**_ You'll see what Jacob's got planned in here…_

**_Ballet Kitty:_**_ He's kind of based off Josh and the guy in the books (I can't think of his name). But he's partially just someone I made up, throwing a bunch of different types of guys together._

**_Calare:_**_ I don't know for sure if she is or not. She's not in here anywhere…_

**_Inconnu:_**_ "Aim low!"Best possible advice in that situation. You're idea is being considered…you'll see if I used it in here anywhere._

And thanks to: **_Syl Sylver, sorato-takari, Kay, KoumiLoccness, Dark Magician and Holy Mage, _**and**_ Sapphire Dragons._**

Chapter 18: Of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

**Friday December 13—Officially 8 days till I leave for PPI…  
****Spanish 2**

Things seem to happen to me for a reason. The events in my life appear to be dominoes. One trial or gain triggers the next, launching either a series of mishaps or by some chance of luck, something good.

I know I sound pessimistic and downtrodden, but to put it simply, it's just the way things click. Koushiro—should he and I still talk—would say something along the lines of: "Through my thorough analysis, I've come to the conclusion it's fate."

Looking at my life, it's easy to see how that is true. My life this year, at least since my dad revealed the little secret he had been hiding, has been a roller coaster. The ups: my friendships with Taichi, Kari, and Takeru; meeting Antonio; and my relationship with Yamato. The downs: Grams; loosing my friendships with Mimi, Miyako, and Christine; having the entire world find out I'm a princess; and finding out Mom's pregnant.

So why am I writing all this down?

It seems my luck that Friday the 13th chose to fall sometime this month, sometime along the bumps on the roller coaster, sometime in my domino effect.

Yesterday's meeting with Jacob Richards proved that way…

I had told no one about it. Antonio, being that he saw the note, was the only one who knew. I probably should have told someone, but reactions lingered in my mind.

Hikari would freak out and warn me not to go. I knew she doubted his sincerity and attitude as she'd heard stories about him from Mimi and me. Takeru would probably do the same, throwing in some harsh words for Jacob in the process. It was easy to figure out how Taichi could act. Do I even need to say it?

And Yamato…he and his presence alone have the power to scare Jacob away with one look. The blonde's not a violent person, but Takeru told me he's been involved in a few choice fights. But more than anything, his rank, seniority, and friends could make Jacob scamper away in the opposite direction.

However, for those reasons, I decided not to tell anyone. Though I'll be the first to admit I need others help quite frequently, this was something I needed to do by myself. I am a strong person and can watch my own back just fine, particularly in the field of high school boys—especially in a school with a tough bodyguard next to me. I know how to pick my fights.

Lunchtime came rather quickly, but I took my time, slowly gathering my books and heading into the corridor Jacob said he'd be at. He stood there patiently waiting for me. His appearance was as it normally was. His hair rested spiked up in that punk-rebel way I used to think was so cute. But compared to Yama's…well, Yamato's got the better hair. Dark green eyes shone like beacons of light as I made my presence known.

"Sora, hey! I was wondering if you got my note."

I nodded to Antonio to hold back, letting me take charge. "Yeah, what did you want to talk to me about?" My response came as Antonio backed up.

"I bet you heard about my break up with Jennifer."

What does that have to do with anything? Though if he's planning on asking what I think he is…well, it's no wonder he and Jennifer were such a good match. Time to play dumb.

"I saw it this morning. I'm sorry about it."

He snickered. "Well, I'm not. She was a conniving bitch."

Harsh words, but he's a good actor. I can see right through this.

"So, listen…"

What did he think I'd been doing for the past few minutes?

"…Jennifer and I _were_ going to the dance together this weekend. But, yeah, considering what happened between us and all…I'm free."

Am I supposed to care? Did he just hear what he said? "Excuse me?"

"So what time am I picking you up?"

I laughed. I really couldn't help it. "Are you implying that I'm going with you? Don't I get some say?"

Jacob was wearing a clueless expression. "Come on, babe. You and I are the popular, loved ones. You'll have a great time with me. We'll cut out of the dance early, head back to my place, get some alcohol, and then have some fun. My parents'll be out of town too."

What a disgusting, perverted jack ass!

"Look, Jacob, I already have a date, and if I didn't, I wouldn't go with you." So much for letting him down kindly. "Seriously, there's more to life than being popular, drunk, and having sex. That's not my kind of thing."

"But you're the popular babe…"

"Please stop calling me babe! You are incredibly vain. Stop and think about what you say. I'm going to pass on your offer, Jacob."

I turned myself around, offering Antonio a victorious smile. That was almost as enjoyable as telling Grams off. "What's you date got that I haven't? And who are you going with?"

I doubt he'd want people to see this desperate side of him. Without turning around, I knew exactly how to respond. "Who my date is would be none of your business along with my life. He's a hundred times the guy you'll ever be. I'm not interested in you, Jacob, so just leave me alone."

Antonio and I began to exit, stopped by the boy's venomous voice. "Be that way, babe. But you'll regret not going to the dance with me in the end."

"I'm sure I'll live."

The Latino man grinned down at me as Jacob stomped off in the other direction. "His ego is even larger than your grandmother's."

"Somebody has a larger ego than your grandmother?" an incredulous voice asked. "That's crazy."

The smile on my face increased as the speaker joined us, looking both ways before approaching me and planting a gentle kiss on my lips. "It's hard to believe, but it's true."

Yamato grinned a bit. "So, who's the person with this ego?"

Antonio took over. "Jacob Richards."

Yama's expression darkened just a bit. "Never liked him."

"You're lucky you weren't here when he was talking to Sora minutes ago then."

"What did he want?" His tone was questioning but not too angry.

"He just wanted to know about something we did in Spanish today. You know how dumb jocks are. And he thought he could get a lot of free answers because Antonio's a genius in the Spanish language." I lied, feeling Yo's eyes look right through me.

Yamato laughed. "Very true. Well, I'm going to be in the counselor's room during the Resource Room time, working out some last minute details for my trip, so you'll have to baby-sit Taichi for me."

"You'd better pay me well then, Yamato."

The blond looked both ways again, checking to see that no teachers were in the hall. He kissed me again, this time a bit harder and more meaningful. "Don't worry; I will. I'll catch you after school, Sor."

"Of course. Bye, Yama."

"You should not have done that, Princesa." Antonio cautioned when the blond was far down the hall. "Lying with only come back to hurt you…"

**Saturday December 15—Officially 6 days till I leave for PPI...  
****My Room**

I told myself it could never happen. I would never let it happen. I'm too strong. I don't let this kind of thing affect me.

But it did.

Mom, for as long as I can remember, has always cautioned that it would happen. "Every girl will face it as some point in her life. I dealt with it with your father."

"But…why, Mom? I'm not like every girl. I'm not like that."

She gave me a sad smile. "You're one of the strongest people I know, kiddo. But trust me; even if it's only for a little bit, it will happen someday."

I ignored her warning, telling myself it would never happen to me. I wouldn't let it.

But it did…

Hikari, the art club, and I spent the entire morning decorating the school gym yesterday. The theme of our "Winter Wonderland" dance every year is always the same: snow.

It was a morning filled with gossip, girl-talk, and all the normal expectancies. Mimi and Miyako were both there but neither said a word to me. Still, after all this time, we haven't mended our torn friendships.

The dance was slated to start at 8:00. Yamato was picking me up an hour and a half early as he had to set up for his band to play. I didn't mind; he had introduced me to his bandmates, and I saw nothing wrong with them. They were a little wary of me at first, being that Yamato and I are two years apart, but in the end, they were cool with it.

"Wow, a skirt?" The blond let out a laugh, checking me out when I greeted him at the door.

Mom chuckled too, coming out to greet him. "I had the same reaction, Yamato. I think she went shopping with Hikari."

"Ha ha." My sarcastic reply shut her up. "Come on, Yama, let's go."

"Have her home by 12:30."

"Will do."

Taking my hand and bidding goodbye to my mother,—who consequently was catcalling some ridiculous thing at us—Yamato led me down the stairs to his car. "No motorcycle?"

"It's too cold. But the car is nice and warm." I climbed in, looking at the blond next to me through the corner of my eye. "What?"

He had seen me studying him, and I turned away, quite red in the face. We may be going out and everything, but it never ceases to amaze me how the littlest things he does can cause me to blush and feel ready to faint. His outfit was no exception. "I just wish all guys could dress like you."

The singer was adorned in a pair of well fitted khaki pants. A collared orange shirt—showing off his trim, toned body if I might add—completed the ensemble. Yamato grinned back at me, clearly enjoying the attention I was giving him. "Well, then, I wish all girls would look as beautiful as you."

"Flirt. Let's get going…"

"So, how'd you manage to shake Antonio?" Yama called as he unloaded part of the trap set from Akira's van.

A smile grew on my face. We had reached the school gym and found ourselves unloading the band's instruments. "It's a long story. Basically, I complained to Antonio who talked to Mom who then went to Dad who demanded Grams let me go without Antonio. She wasn't too keen to follow, but Yo went off about not wanting to spend all night with a bunch of rowdy teenage brats."

Slowly, we walked inside. The blond picked up his bass guitar, beginning to tune it, and leaving the others to carry in the remaining boxes and amps. "Well, I'm glad he didn't come. And I bet he's very happy he could get out of it."

"You're telling me. It's like the highlight of his whole time in America."

I spent the next hour talking with the guys and waiting for everyone else to arrive. Most people began to show up around the same time. The hired DJ, who had set his things up around the same time as us, was letting a few songs play, waiting to shut them down when "The Wolves" were slated to perform.

"Sora!"

I turned to my right, seeing two very finely dressed individuals—locked hand in hand—approaching me. "Hey Kari, Takeru. Wow, the two of you look nice." She was wearing a pink dress with ruffles. The younger blond had obviously inherited his fashion sense from the same place his older brother had. Takeru bore a pair of black pants and a baby blue dress shirt. I knew Kari would be commenting about how gorgeous he looked when we were alone.

"You look great too, Sor!" Kari gushed, pointing to my outfit. I had gone shopping with her as Mom had correctly guessed. My attire consisted of a deep crimson velvety top with a jean jacket overtop of it. A khaki miniskirt completed the look. It wasn't my normal style by any means, but I wanted to try something different. And I think it actually looked pretty good.

The lights dimmed, giving the signal that Yamato and the band members had been waiting for. We bid farewell to him before taking off. He promised to find me immediately when they finished playing. "I don't want you to be without your date the whole night. Particularly if you're stuck with Taichi…"

"So Sora?"

"Yes, Taichi?"

The dance had been going on for quite some time, and we had to be nearing the final hour. I spent the majority of the night with Tai, dancing and talking. Takeru and Hikari stopped by to chat but were more often seen on the dance floor.

Except right now.

"We were all wondering if you and my brother have something going on." Takeru bluntly chose to put it.

The three of them were all staring inquisitively as if they would burst if they didn't know. "And why should I tell you?"

"Because the two of you should be together. You two are so cute!" Hikari squealed.

Taichi rolled his eyes, making a face in Takeru's direction. The younger boy laughed. "Because Yamato likes you. A lot."

"And you think I don't know that?" I teased.

"Sora, give us a straight answer. Please!" Tai begged.

I winked at them. "Ask Yama…"

I turned to the stage in search of the blond before remembering his band had been done playing for an hour. Yet I still hadn't seen him anywhere. He promised to seek me out immediately, but where was he?

"Where'd he go?" Tai asked. I turned back to face him, noticing Takeru and Hikari—upset about not getting the answer they wanted—headed back to the dance floor. "I know he wanted to see you."

"I have no idea where he's at. There's only an hour left until the dance is over. Let's split up and look for him."

Taichi nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

I aimlessly wandered through the mass of people. There was no sign of him anywhere. Suddenly an arm grabbed onto my shoulder, pulling me out of the gym and into the hallway.

"Yamato?"

"Not quite."

I gasped. "Jacob…what do you want?"

He moved his hand down to mine, harshly dragging me into one of the back hallways. His strong upper body pinned me up against a set of lockers. "Mmm...you look inviting."

Jacob was intoxicated; it was obvious from his talk and manner. And his breath. He ran his hand down my leg. "Leave me alone! You're drunk! You don't know what you're doing!"

"I'm well aware of what I'm doing. Baby, I told you that you'd regret not going with me." The teen slurred, moving his face down to mine.

SLAP!

He clutched his cheek in pain. "Damn it, bitch!" With that, he shoved himself against me, slamming his lips against mine. I resisted the best I could, but he had me locked against the lockers, arms and legs unable to get free.

His hands moved underneath my shirt. This has to stop! But I can't make him move. I'm in no position to push him off. He has me trapped. He's going to rape me! Someone please help…

"Get the hell away from her!"

Surprised by the voice, Jacob backed up, giving me the perfect opportunity and shot.

"OHHHHH!" He fell to the ground as his knees gave way. I had the ideal aim; hopefully I damaged something…he doesn't deserve the ability to reproduce.

Yamato was seething as he stormed over to us. I looked behind him to see who had found him. And then, I nearly fell over from shock.

Mimi?

The blond kneeled down so he was at eyelevel with Jacob. "If you ever come near Sora again, so help me God what happens."

"is that a threat?" Jacob moaned, attempting to stand up.

Yamato kicked his leg hard, causing him to fall back down, hitting the ground with a loud thud. "No, it's a promise. Stay the hell away from her." His voice held a poisonous venom and from the looks of things, it'll take Jacob a long time to recover.

Taking my hand, a ferocious Yamato led me outside the building, taking Mimi along with us.

"Sor, are you okay? What all did that bastard do to you?" He finally calmed down, but only a bit.

"How did you find me?" I asked, shock finally sinking in.

"I saw him earlier and knew he was drunk. When he grabbed you, I knew I had to do something. Luckily, I found Yamato." Mimi spoke up.

The blond gave me a look, trying to motion that he wanted to speak to me alone. "Meems," she was startled by the familiarity, "thank you for everything. I don't want to know what would've happened if you hadn't found Yama."

"It's no problem, Sora." she managed to say. I walked over and gave her a hug, which she willingly returned.

"Call me tomorrow. We need to talk about some things."

A smile illuminated on her features. "Yeah, talk to you then."

When he was sure she was inside, Yama began to speak. "So, let's hear it." I let out a sigh, describing everything that happened with Jacob. "So he asked you to the dance? When did this happen?"

"Y…yesterday before lunch."

Yamato scrutinized my answer. "I though you said he was asking about Spanish homework?"

A guilty look found my face. "Yama…I'm, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have lied to you, but I thought I could handle it on my own. Jacob is a jack ass…I shouldn't have tried to deal with it…"

"Sor, I can't believe you didn't tell me! I know you're strong, and truthfully, you could kick his ass as well as me, but it's just the fact you weren't honest. To make our relationship last—and I want to be with you, make no mistake—we've got to be honest. That really hurt me, Sor. I've been burned before."

"Yama, I swear to you that I was only lying because it was the best possible option at the time. I was afraid of you doing something stupid to Jacob."

He lowered me onto one of the benches, sting next to me. "I understand what you're trying to say, but just think about it in my situation. How am I going to feel knowing that other guys are hitting on you, and you just lie to my face so I won't do anything stupid? I'm smarter than that."

"I know, Yamato. I was just afraid you might overreact this time. I know you don't like Jacob one bit…"

"Sora, if I can't trust you here, then how can I when you're in another country?"

My mouth dropped. "I think you're taking this a bit too far. I never wanted to lie to you; I was stupid for doing it too, I'll be the first to admit it. But you've gotta know that you can trust me."

"It's not the first time a girl has lied to me. The last time it happened, I found out my girlfriend was cheating on me. After tonight…I just feel…betrayed."

"Betrayed? You're one to talk." My anger got the better of me. "You told me you'd find me right away after you were done playing. I didn't see you till Mimi found you."

He blushed, biting his lip in frustration. "I ran into some people."

"But you couldn't just find someone and have them tell me where you were?"

"No! It was unavoidable."

"So, how am I supposed to feel after you stand me up, Yamato? Betrayed? Hurt? What if this isn't the last time it happens?"

He ran a hand through his hair. Frustration was very apparent in his voice. "Look, I think we just need some time to cool off. I'll take you back to your place."

"Whatever."

"Sor…"

"Yama, let's just go."

Fifteen minutes later—after sheer, uncomfortable silence—we arrived at my apartment. "I'll call you tomorrow. I promise you. And I refuse to break that promise."

He caught me off guard, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. I climbed out of the car without any words. Heading into the apartment, I went straight to bed.

But first something happened that I swore would happen. I promised myself that I would never cry over a boy.

But it happened…

**Saturday December 21—D-Day (Departure Day)  
****Airplane**

Up until last Saturday, I had never cried over a guy. But now it's happened two times within the period of a week.

This time I couldn't stop the tears as the airplane took off for PPI. The others all knew why, and I could see the sadness on their faces.

I sighed, watching America disappear below me. I was leaving here for who knows how long, leaving all sorts of things behind in the process. But one thing lingered there, haunting me more than any of the others.

My heart…

A/N: Please review! I have "Artistic Differences" done—I just have to type it. And "Game of Life" is like 500 words from being completed…then I have to type it. Two 13-hour bus trips really allow you to get some writing done! Lol! Well, I love to hear what you all think. Please review! I'll elaborate more on the last day (the 21st) next chapter. Until then…review!


	19. Of Instinct and Reason

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

A/N: So yeah, I was going to update this on my 1-year anniversary on the site. Well, that was about four days ago, and it didn't quite work out as planned. Took me ages to write this. I'm pretty sure this fic has only about two chapters left…maybe three. I'm not really sure. It's something like that. But, please review and let me know what you think!

_**Placid Snowflake**: I know what you mean. I do that all the time with fics if I miss a few chapters. I missed like three in this one Harry Potter fic I was reading so I just went back and reread over half the story. I like those scenes too. I'm glad my grandmother is like Yamato's instead of Sora's…_

**_Calare:_**_ My trip was fun. There were a couple places we went that were kind of retarded, but the rest was great! Trip out there was a long bus ride…but the trip back was worse. Yeah, a tangible relationship is better than an overly perfect one any day._

**_Wishinstahhz:_**_ Wow, remind me never to be around you when you get pissed off at a guy like Jacob. Though he does very much deserve for that to happen._

**_Twilight:_**_ Yes, being a princess is a hard job. Not that I know or anything—that would be weird. But she's learning some of the harder lessons are the normal things in life, not necessarily the crap Grams puts her through. And this chapter is basically a flashback of everything that happened to her._

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ I went to __Colorado__. I went to DC and __New York__ the summer after eighth grade. I'd figure out how many years ago that was, but…wow…this is the summer after eleventh grade…that's too much math to do without a calculator! Lol! Thank God for summer break…_

And thanks to:**_ Cute-Funky-guRL, My Name is R.C., Kay, sorato-takari, Kari, KoumiLoccness, _**and **_Soraslove._**

Chapter 19: Of Instinct and Reason

**Saturday December 21 (continued)  
****The Plane**

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, "_Trust your instinct to the end though you can render no reason._"

Is his one of those times where old pearls of wisdom become true? Could a writer who lived before my time period—a writer whose works I am being forced to read in my literature class—really hold the key to unlocking the secrets and problems in my life? Am I overthinking this?

Perhaps I should back up to where this all started and a time before my literary allusions and conceits began running rampantly. In simpler terms, here's what happened…

A very long hot shower was my first dose of medicine. Before anything could happen to me, I wanted to clear my mind. Water, the essential purifier, life's natural cleanser, could hopefully give me a moment's notice of sanctity.

My moment disappeared much too fast. I stepped out of the shower and dried off, doing my best to come up with my plan of action. There was so much I needed to do—all in a period of a week—but rushing into something without thinking probably wasn't a good idea this time. I knew that talking to both Yamato and Mimi should be high up on my priority list.

Looking around the apartment, I realized Mom wasn't there. I had a strong feeling where she was, and the note on the computer desk only confirmed my belief. That makes things easier. While sometimes it's good to confide in her, I don't think the topic of men would be a strong one for her to handle at the moment.

I glanced at the old clock on the kitchen counter. Mimi would be up by 11:00 on a Sunday, right? Though I knew I _should_ talk to Yama first,—as I was lost as to where our relationship stood— it just seemed like I need to seek out a female opinion on things first.

Mimi had been my oldest friend. She and I grew up together, facing all sorts of different things. Both of us, after a long silence and ignorance, were ready to face our differences right in the eye. If anyone could help me out and provide knowledge on the mystery we call men, it was she.

"Hello? Tachikawas."

"Is Mimi there?"

The voice on the other end of the line, her mother, paused. "Oh Mimi! OH MIMI DEAR!"

I cringed. It wasn't hard to see where my pink-haired friend got her loud voice from. "Hello?"

"Mimi it's me."

"Oh, hey Sora," she replied quietly, as if unsure I was really talking to her. Maybe she thought last night was an illusion as well. I wish it was.

"Listen, obviously there's some things we need to talk about. Do you want to meet at the park and talk there? I don't think this is something fit to discuss over the phone."

She was quiet. "Are you sure you want to go…out into the open?"

I caught what she was referring to. Ever since this whole ordeal has happened, I've tried to stay on the down low, remaining inside more than out. But it was finally time, time for the change. Like I caterpillar changing into a butterfly, it seemed only natural that I choose sometime to go out into the public without a bodyguard. Considering I'm going to be officially crowned Princess in the coming weeks, this definitely sounds like the right time.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. I'll meet you in the park under the maple tree with the seesaw we used to play on when we were little."

"Okay, see you there in ten minutes…"

* * *

I arrived at the park first, patiently sitting on at the place Mimi and I agreed on. It was so refreshing to be here, out in public without Antonio. For once, it was like I was actually a normal teen. 

But reality checks in as usual.

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to be Princess Sora Takenouchi?"

I looked up to see a woman. Her—probably—eight year old daughter was standing behind her, looking at me with wide eyes. I smiled at the woman and nodded my head.

"Wow, a real life princess? What's it like?" the little girl exclaimed, leaving the shelter of her mother.

"Somedays," I paused, finally finding a fitting response, "I think Cinderella had it easier than me."

He mother offered me a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be. It's the way things go. I just wish every now and then my fairy godmother—wherever she is—could step in and make things easier." I noticed the camera in the woman's hand. "Go ahead."

Her mother motioned for her daughter to stand next to me. "What's you name?"

"Betsy," the girl replied. "A fairy godmother would be cool! She could send you a Prince Charming!"

I laughed along with her, thinking of Yamato, as her mom snapped a picture. "Well, if you ever find a fairy godmother, Betsy, please send her my way."

"Of course," she cheerfully grinned at me. "Thank you, Princess Sora."

"Thanks," her mother offered up as the two of them each waved before wandering off to play on the slide.

"So, have you been waiting long?"

I turned to find Mimi standing a few feet away, obviously here to watch the scene that had just happened. "Not really. I just got here."

"Does that happen a lot?" She couldn't contain her curiosity. "Do people stop you for pictures and autographs?"

"Not as much as they used to. But not everyone is exactly "nice" when they come to talk to me or meet me."

Her face became red, and I knew she remembered what happened the day she and the world found out I was a princess. "Sora, I'm sorry about that."

"I actually don't blame you guys for being mad at me, Mimi. It's really understandable. I probably would have done the same thing if I found out one of you was a princess."

"But we refused to listen to you. I feel so bad about it, especially with all the shit we went through. Tell me about things now. I'm ready to listen…"

Two and a half hours later and very happy that one problem had been resolved, I headed home. To my surprised, Mom wasn't back at the apartment.

I walked into the kitchen, ready to get something to eat. But the blinking answering machine instead caught my attention. "You have two new messages," the annoying voice proclaimed. "Message one…"

"Sora, honey, it's Mom. Sorry I didn't get home last night. Carl and I went shopping for baby room necessities. We got back late, and we're going to look again today. Take a $20 bill from my room, and go out for lunch or something. I'll be back in time for supper. Love you."

That explains things. "Message two…"

"Sor?" I felt my heart rate speed up. "It's me. We really need to talk things over now that we're in rational states." He paused. "I don't' want us to end. I guess I'll catch you later then…"

"End of messages…"

Picking up the phone, I knew I was ready to take to him. My visit with Mimi really helped. Talking to someone about my problems instead of trying to figure everything out by myself is something I'm gradually learning to do. Mimi gave me some good advice as to the "Yamato problem", and I'm really hoping this phone call clears the foggy issue away.

"Hello? Ishida residence."

"Mrs. Ishida, it's Sora."

I could tell she was smiling. "How are you doing, dear?"

"I'm coping the best I can. Things are getting much better."

"That's good to hear."

"Is Yamato there?"

"He's at band practice. He'll be there for a good deal of time. Then he's going to run and pick up some things for his trip."

I sighed. So much for that plan. "When does he leave?"

"He and his father are driving out on Wednesday morning."

"He will be back by Saturday, right?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"Don't worry, dear. I know my son's interests very well. He won't miss your coronation for the world."

I sighed again, this time out of relief. "Thanks, Mrs. Ishida. Can you tell him I called?"

"Of course, Sora."

"Thanks! Goodbye."

"Bye…"

* * *

School on Monday was full of rumors. The school was buzzing about what had happened at the dance. Apparently someone had seen Jacob pull me into the hall and seen the confrontation. 

He had been called into the principal's office during first period, and word around school was that he'd been punished and sent home. But that's just what the rumor mill was saying. For once, I really had to agree.

"Hey, Takenouchi."

I groaned. Antonio and I both turned around to face a seething Jennifer Jones. "Yes, Jennifer?"

"You bitch! I can't believe you got my boyfriend suspended."

"It's not my fault he tried to rape me. And last time I checked, the two of you weren't together."

She sneered at me. I was sure she would have attacked me but was stopped only by Antonio's presence. "He and I are still together. Make no mistake."

"Look, I don't have time to listen to you complain."

"Do you do anything but complain? Jeez Jennifer. If you keep that ugly look on your face, it'll stay that way. Too late; have you ever considered plastic surgery?"

Mimi, along with the now stunned Christine and Miyako, walked over to me, linking her arm through mine. I glanced at Antonio. "I think this is our cue to leave."

The three of us walked off, and Mimi motioned for Christine and Miyako to follow. "Thanks for the save, Meems."

She gave me a hug, causing the two female bystanders' to watch helplessly as their jaws dropped to the ground. "Do you want to explain what's going on Mimi? Why are you talking to that traitor?"

"Miyako, she's not a traitor. I…we've been stupid in refusing to listen to her."

"Start talking then, _princess._"

"Sora?" Mimi's voice registered in my mind, but my attention was elsewhere. Yamato and his friend Jyou walked by. The pink-haired girl caught my shifted gaze. "Go talk to him. That's more important than this. Go…" she gave me a push in their direction.

I could hear Christine laughing in the background. "Yep, ditch us once again. It's not surprising."

Not at all shocked by her behavior, I continued to walk on, hoping to catch up to Yamato. Mimi was attempting to explain things to them. Hopefully they don't ignore her too because she's siding with me.

"Hey, Jyou; hey, Yama." Finally my feet reached my destination: the blonde's locker.

They both turned to face me. "Oh hey, princ…uh, Sora. I'm going to go on into AP Biology. I need to get in some last minute studying."

Yamato cracked a grin. "Jyou, the test isn't until Thursday. Bedsides, I took it already. You won't need to study that much."

"Yamato, you never need to study. You're a genius."

"So are you."

Jyou shook his head. "Only after studying. And you know me; I like to get a head start. Later guys."

The blue-haired boy walked off, obviously in an attempt for us to be alone together. "So…" Yama stated while grabbing books from his locker.

"So…I called you back yesterday."

"Mom told me." We were both silent before he let out a laugh. "This is awkward."

"Should it be?"

"No. We should be able to figure this out. Cause I don't like being on an awkward basis with you. Where's your next class?" he called out, shutting his locker door.

"Spanish 2,"

"I'll walk you there. It's right on my way to Bio."

I smiled up at him. "That'd be nice." While Yama and I walked up ahead, Antonio lagged a bit behind to give us a bit of privacy. He'd heard all about what had happened—I had to use every ounce of resourcefulness I possess to convince him it wasn't his fault. I'm just surprised he's giving me even a little bit of space. I was sure he would tail me around everywhere. "Yama, I'm sorry."

His cerulean eyes studied mine at the comment that seemingly came out of nowhere. "I'm sorry too. We were both apparently caught up in the moment."

"Yeah, can we just forget the whole Jacob incident?"

He stopped walking, pulling me to the side of the crowded hall. "I don't know if that's possible. I keep wondering what might've happened if Mimi hadn't found me or if you wouldn't have been able to fight him off."

I didn't want to dwell in the past, particularly that incident. "Can you try…for me?" That comment hit him hard. His eyes studied mine carefully as if asking them to put the answer in his mouth. "Yamato, what happened wasn't your fault. I should've realized Jacob would try something. If you wouldn't have been there to help me…"

"…that's it, though. I should've been there for you instead of talking to other people. I wasn't there for you."

"This is what I mean." Placing a hand on his shoulder, I made his wandering eyes look at me again. "Things would be better if we forgot about this thing. We both know we made mistakes. We both know we need to work on them. And we both," I hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right way to word it, "we both know we want to be together and make this relationship last."

The first bell rang.

Knowing we were outside my classroom and the tardy bell would be ringing shortly, I made my exit. "Sora…" I looked back at him. "I'll try my best…"

* * *

The rest of Monday and then Tuesday passed with a blur. I went to my last weeks' worth of lessons from Grams. By the 31st, I'm going to need to know everything possible to be a successful future queen. I really hope I'm ready. 

Grams and I have been getting along decently. We haven't had large arguments or any cat fights. We can hold our tongue long enough to survive a lesson, even if we don't particularly like something.

Tuesday night I found myself sitting at home, staring out the window at the snow. We've been getting some odd weather lately. The weathermen have predicted it's going to be a snowy Christmas. Too bad I'm not going to be here for it.

A lot of snow is predicted for the rest of the week. But Chicago has missed a lot of the _big_ weather things this year. This'll probably be the same.

My thoughts were interrupted as the doorbell rang. I wasn't really sure who it could be. Mom went—again—with Mr. R. Honestly, now that they know she's pregnant, it's so hard to find one without the other. It's like they're two peas in a pod. Corny metaphor, but it's sadly true.

Antonio and Grams wouldn't be stopping. It was only—shit, where did the time go. Who would be stopping at 11:00 on a Tuesday night in the middle of a snowfall?

I got my answer and really, I should have known it was coming.

"My God, Yamato, you're soaked! What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," I gestured for him to enter the room and hurried into the bathroom to give him some towels.

He seated himself on the couch—after I got the towels. Mom would've freaked, even if she wasn't there. "So…"

"Why are you here?" I couldn't keep myself from asking it.

"I wanted to say a proper goodbye. I don't want us to be on even shakier terms than we already are."

It was true. Though we had both knew the old saying "forgive and forget" was the best remedy, we were hesitant. It's not like we weren't trying to fix things between us. Quite the opposite in fact. It just seemed like this was one of those times we should've let bygones be bygones. But it wasn't that easy.

It seemed like we should be doing something more. Yama and I both felt that it shouldn't be that easy. It just felt like something more needed to be said, something else needed to happen. Looking back now, I can see we ignored the shortest, easiest path and instead journeyed the rocky, uncertain one.

I glanced up at him, not sure if he expected me to say something.

The blond ran a hand through his hair. "Sora, I don't know what to say. We both know what we need to do. But we just can't seem to get it through our stubborn minds to do so."

A grin formed on my face. "Yama, stop before you start to apologize. You're right. We both need to forget. Why not start right now? What time do you leave tomorrow, and how did you manage to get out of your apartment at this time?"

He gave me a true smile, something I've been waiting to see for awhile. "I told Mom I had to run to pick up some donuts for tomorrow's breakfast. We're leaving at three a.m."

"I'm sorry; I'll be thinking of you while I'm sleeping."

"Very funny,"

"Have fun on your trip. Good luck at your audition. I know the judges will love you."

Yamato stood up and looked over at the clock on the wall. We both knew he had to get going soon. "Thanks, Sor. I'm getting kind of nervous for the whole audition thing, but as corny as this sounds, things feel better knowing that I have all of you supporting me back here. And Dad will be there. But he's tone deaf so yeah…"

I laughed at his joke, and for the first time, the realization finally sunk in. This is the last time I'll get to see him until Saturday. It sounds odd, considering we're not on the best terms or anything and the fact we haven't really defined our relationship. But I'm going to miss him. A lot.

"So…I guess this is goodbye."

He walked over to the couch I was sitting on. Yamato leaned down to me and placed his lips over mine in a heart stopping kiss. I felt all emotions drain out into this kiss and knew he was experiencing the exact same feeling. Our lips crushed against each others', and I never wanted the moment to end.

"What time does the plane leave on Saturday?" he panted out, releasing my lips a good few minutes later.

"Two thirty. You will be back, right?" Though I had heard the answer to this from so many different people, I needed to hear it from him.

Yamato grinned again. "I will make sure of it. I can't miss your big day, and I have to be there to sing the song you're going to play to test out of Music Appreciation."

In all the excitement—well, in my case I probably wouldn't refer to it as excitement—of the coming trip, I had forgotten about that little detail. Mr. R. told me I was going to perform down on the Isle. "It'll give you a chance to do it before the year is over. You'll do fine…"

"Well, I'm not going to sing it."

"Thank God," he murmured, prompting a glare in his direction. Yama turned away, glancing at the clock to avoid my eyes. "I need to get going. They're going to wonder what's taking me so long."

I stood up and followed him to the door. He was about to leave when he suddenly turned back to face me. "Sora…I think I'm…"

"You're what, Yamato?"

"I'm…never mind. I've got to go."

With another kiss—this one less passionate then the previous one—Yamato left, leaving me even more confused about things…

The rest of the week came and passed. My friends—namely Hikari, Taichi, Takeru, Mimi, and Koushiro—surprised me with a going away party on Friday night. There were a lot more people there, a lot of them friends from school or adults I knew. It was fun, though, given the fact Taichi kind of blew the secret that it was a surprise, I wasn't too shocked to see everyone there.

I know I've been skipping around quite a bit, jumping from one subject to another unrelated one. But I'm only choosing to write down the important stuff. The other things that have happened to me are minute and aren't as valuable to me as those that I choose to write.

This morning was pure chaos. Mom ran around the apartment like the pregnant madwoman she can be. Mr. R. came over at seven to help us with last minute packing Mom had forgotten about. He, Mom, Grams, Antonio, Takeru, Kari, Taichi, and…Yamato…_were_ the only ones coming. As Mimi and I weren't exactly on speaking terms then, she understood why she hadn't been invited. "I promise I'll watch you on TV."

The morning came and went all too quickly. With the others' help, we managed to get everything I had that needed to get to the Isle packed inside someone's car or van. The trip to the airport—we had decided to leave out of a smaller airport on the outskirts of Chicago because of our private jet Dad was sending—went by quickly. I couldn't keep from checking my watch over and over.

It was almost 2:30 when we arrived, and there was no sign of Yamato. "He'll be here, Sora. Don't worry." Takeru promised though it seemed like he was trying to convince himself the same thing.

The clock was ticking. A pilot—Yo assured me that she was one of Prince Phillipe's Isle's finest fliers—and plane had arrived nearly fifteen minutes ago.

"Sora, as much as you want your novio here, we must get going soon."

I looked up at the man who I'd come to get along with really well. "Antonio, can't we wait at least another half and hour."

Grams stepped over. "Sora, we have a schedule to maintain. Your father will be very disappointed if we do not arrive on time."

"Half an hour, Grams. 3:00. Half an hour can't make much of a difference for his plans."

"Where's your friend coming from, Princess Sora?" the pilot asked.

"New York. Why?"

"Have you caught the news recently? New York's under a heavy blizzard. They got what you had here in the middle of the week. But it was worse,"

"Half and hour," my response never changed.

Grams sighed, facing the woman. "Half an hour."

I was so incredibly surprised to have Grams agree with me that I did something very uncharacteristic of myself. I gave her—her of all people—a hug. And for once, she didn't reprimand me or push me away. She hugged me back.

Half an hour came and passed…and the plane took off without him…

**Sunday December 22  
****The hot sandy beaches of PPI**

Imagine, if you please, startling blue waters capped off with mountains of waves and foam. Tropical plants foreign to your eyes, lush fruit trees of every variety spaced out all across the entire land before you—millions of tiny white and tan grains—and the hot sun shining its rays upon your back. Sounds like paradise, no? The problem is only one thing is keeping it from being paradise.

There's no Yamato.

We arrived here around 12:00 am this morning, and though none of us wanted to sleep because of the sights we saw, jet lag came calling. Taichi, the last of us to wake up, headed downstairs to the breakfast table of Grams' beach house at noon. Dad was there to greet us.

"So who all do we have here?"

"Papá…"

"No need for the Spanish, Sora. You're free to talk in English. You're going to be speaking plenty of Spanish in the future."

"Dad," I made a huge point of saying, "these are some of my closest friends. This is Hikari Yagami and her brother Taichi, and this is Takeru Ishida."

Dad rounded on the boy with gravity defying hair as he ate the last of his mountain of pancakes. "Son, I'd like to know the extent of your relationship with my daughter. She's only sixteen and I don't…"

His hand immediately went to Tai's back as the brunette began to cough up his breakfast. "Sorry…si…King Olivarez, but I think you have me mistaken with someone else. Sora's one of my friends. There's no romantic thing going on between us."

Raising his eyes, Dad faced me. "So where is this boy I'm supposed to meet?" My eyes shifted from his. "Did he hurt you, Sora? If he did…Antonio! Call up the commander of the army…"

"DAD!" My cheeks heated up. I glanced over at my friends and saw them all snickering. Even Mom and Mr. R. were trying not to laugh. "Dad, it's nothing like that. Yamato was auditioning at Julliard yesterday, and he and his father got stuck there due to a blizzard." My face fell at the last comment.

"That's not just an excuse…"

"Excuse me, sire?" Takeru bowed down.

"Don't worry about that stupid gesture." Dad waved his hand frivolously, and Grams, standing about two feet away from him, clenched her teeth in internal anguish at what he had said. "Continue on, please."

"Yamato is my brother. I talked to my mom earlier this morning. She talked to Dad—before his cell phone died—and found out the two of them are stranded at a rest stop in Pennsylvania with a bunch of woman who are headed to an "I Love Lucy" convention. They're all dressed as Lucy."

I cringed. Poor Yamato. Truthfully, I'm not really that mad at the reason he's not here. I really want him here, probably more than the others—but I didn't say that…I support the fact that he's trying out for Julliard. I _want_ him to follow his dreams. I know he can get in. But I also want him here with me. Selfish, no?

Dad looked at the younger blond. "That's all I found out. Mom said the battery on his cell phone died before she could find out anything more."

He gave a sigh, probably still wanting to call in the army _and_ navy but was forcing himself to restrain from it. "Shall we go tour the beaches…"

"What's eating you?"

Antonio turned toward me at the question. I had seen the pensive, far away look in his eyes. "I…it's…it's nothing."

I raised my eyebrow. "My butt it's nothing," my response came as we walked out the door, lingering in the back of the group.

"If you need to know, I was…uh…thinking about my family."

"Sure," Like I bought that answer.

He glared at me. "It's true, Princesa. I haven't seen them since I was stuck _babysitting_ you. It'll be nice to see them again."

"Do I get to meet them?"

"You will meet them tomorrow when we venture to the castle."

"I can't wait."

He smiled, wrapping an arm around me. "Come, Princesa. You're father wants you at the front with him. It's time to tour the island…"

A/N: -cringes- Yeah, well, at least I got the chapter done if nothing else. I'm not too happy with it—it took me over a week to write. Nonetheless, I'd love to hear what you guys think about it.And sorry ifthere are any errors;I'm typing this note up at my sister's house.Happy early 4th of July to anyone in the USA. **This is the last update of this fic until…-thinks-sometime in mid-August. But it'll be the first one up when I get back from ****Mexico**Please review!


	20. Of Christmas Wishes

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon, Disney, or any movies mentioned—not mine!

**_Calare:_**_ Missing a plane is not fun. I've never had it happen to me, but it almost did on Monday night. Fortunately, the airline held the plane for my class—all 40 of us—and, after it got delayed again, we finally got on._

**_Mrs. Ishida-to-you:_**_ No, I went to __Oaxaca__Mexico__ City and __Acapulco__, all in southern __Mexico__. Yep, I wanted something funny, and I watched Rat Race twice this summer; it just fit._

**_Jilliana:_**_ Thanks for all the compliments!_

**_Cute-Funky-guRL:_**_ You'll find out eventually._

And thanks to:** _Twilight, KoumiLoccness, sorato-takari _**and **_Wishinstahhz. _**

Chapter 20: Of Christmas Wishes

**Monday December 23  
****The Castle Dining Room**

As a kid, I absolutely loved all those classic Disney movies. Mom and I would spend hours upon hours in front of our television, watching in anticipation, hoping and praying happily ever after would come true.

But the thing I loved above all others—including the humorous characters, dashing princes and heroic underdogs—happened to be the opening scene of every movie. Each sitting, I waited impatiently for the breathtaking castle to unfold on the screen.

The concept of a castle, given its medieval connotation, has always attracted my interest. I would always imagine what a real life castle looked like, secretly fantasizing it would be a bit like a fairly tale image.

While it may not be from the clips of "Cinderella" or "Sleeping Beauty", the royal family's home—_my _future home—is phenomenal!

We spent the rest of yesterday sunning, surfing, burning (in Tai's case) and resting on the beach. It was nice to be there and relax, forgetting about all the drama and chaos in the world, welcomed into an almost Shangri-La by paradise's warm arms.

The afternoon was spent enjoying Mother Nature's gifts of beauty, tranquility and heaven. I, along with the others, alternated between swimming and building sandcastles. In the midst of things, Dad and I managed to find time to catch up.

"Comó estás mi princesa pequeña?" **How are you my little princess?**

"Asi-asi." **Okay.** "I just wish Yamato was here."

Dad's eyes narrowed at the blonde's name. He is still not crazy about the idea of Yamato and me. Already, in a matter of three hours, he's threatened to send the army, navy, air force and royal guards out to get him and bring him here to be interrogated. My father is so protective of me guy-wise. Poor Takeru and Taichi are learning that.

While we've all proclaimed—on more than one occasion—that Tai and I aren't together, Dad seems to bring up the topic quite a lot. And the lone blond is constantly drilled with questions regarding his brother.

"Papá…ser simpático!" **Dad, be nice!**

His response was a stubborn glare, one Mom constantly blames on him for passing onto me. "It's getting a bit late. Let's go back to the castle…"

The castle.

As cliché as it is, I don't really know where to begin describing it. The place is unlike the gothic architecture normally associated with "the castle."

It was inspired by the local artisans, probably as it was not originally intended to be for royalty. Originally, the royal castle of PPI was a convent for nuns, set in stone when the first people came over from Spain. But things changed after the civil war, my ancestors deciding this convent was the perfect place to call home.

It's really quite unique, this castle. While most castles are gigantic and growing increasingly modern, ours has stayed true to its first roots, for the most part. The front doors are made of a shiny pinewood, accented with rich red paint—the ancient people's color of royalty—and are tall enough for an army of giants to walk through. The main hallway leads into an open courtyard with a huge fountain. All around the bottom floor is a conglomeration of rooms, none of which I've managed to explore.

Yet.

Looking directly up, there is a spacious glass dome that separates the outside from the inside. It didn't used to be there, but Mother Nature had her way. A set of spiral staircases, one on the left and one on the right, lead up to the second floor. It, just like the first floor, contains room after room of who knows what. There's also a nice view of the bottom floor and the humongous pool, separated from the main entrance with the fountain by a wall.

My room is located up the last set of stairs, buried snugly in a corner of the third floor. I nearly missed it the first time Antonio pointed it out. Now let me tell you, it's probably the coolest room in the whole place. Venturing outside it, I have this huge-ass balcony with this phenomenal view of the castle grounds, beach and ocean. I could stand up there for hours at a time and not get bored. I also have access to the outside, as the staircase leading up to my room is actually located outside.

How cool!

And better yet, I'm kind of isolated from everyone. "You are at the farthest corner of the castle. Your room is the most distance from your grandmother's," Antonio informed me with a hint of a smile.

That's well worth it.

To tell you the truth, it kind of sucks having no one around me, but I bet I'll appreciate the solitude later. Inside, my room is as unbelievable as the exterior. The walls are a light shade of crème, and there is a gigantic, old-fashioned canopy bed. The rugs on it have an almost Persian-like look. Shades of bright colors highlight the bed, giving it a look as if the sunrise hits it first, allowing the room to bathe and dance in its glory.

A wooden desk made by artisans on the Isle rests gently in the corner with a comfortable chair beside it. I have a huge table, shining sun inside the glass counter, surrounded by oak. The chairs match the décor of the room. An almost big screen plasma television sticks out like a sore thumb but gives the room a slightly twenty-first century look.

It's amazing how much different it is than my room in Chicago. Chicago and PPI…they're like the antithesis of each other. I, before this ordeal was revealed to the press, made a list of the pros and cons of being a princess and having to move. Dad has told me his decision will come at the Birthday Bash.

Could he make me stay? Does he have the authority to do so? Do I want to stay here? I'll admit it's the epitaph of paradise, but I don't want to leave the Windy City and everything I know.

Yet…

* * *

In the whole time I've known Antonio, I have never seen him behave this strangely. Grams pulled me aside, having noticed the same thing. She blamed it on the fact he hadn't seen his family in ages.

It finally happened.

We got to meet his family. They weren't quite what I expected, particularly for Yo.

"Princesa Sora y su amigos…quiero presentarle a mi familia. Ella es mi esposa, Carmen. Sus hijos son Ava y Miguel. Ava tiene quince años. Miguel tiene ocho años." **Princess Sora and your friends…I want to introduce my family. She is my wife, Carmen. Our children are Ava and Miguel. Ava is fifteen. Miguel is eight.**

"Encantada," **I'm charmed.**

Carmen curtsied before me. "Antonio has only said good things about you since he began his job. It will be a pleasure to have you as our future ruler."

I blushed, feeling my face match my hair and eye color. I must look like an overripe tomato. "Muchos gracias, Carmen." My gaze shifted to my babysitter. "Yo, you said something nice about me?"

He rolled his eyes, a bit of his normal nature returning. "Sí, Princesa. As hard as it is to believe…"

I studied the two children. Both took after their mother appearance-wise. Jet black hair, dark long lashes and a gorgeous olive complexion complimented their features. They were lucky to have such nice looks.

The girl just stared at me, shooting a do-I-care look in my direction. "Ava, introduce yourself."

"It's an undying pleasure to meet you, _Princess._"

She's got her father's dry humor.

"Ava, outside now!"

As she suckled off, I noticed another thing. She's got her father's moodiness too.

"Ignore her," Carmen cautioned. "She has been very rude lately."

"Princesa, mi nombre es Miguel."

"Holá, Miguel."

He smiled cutely at me, face flushing a bit. "I think you'll be a good princess. Usted es," he hesitated, "muy bonita." **You are very pretty.**

Now, I look like a sun burnt, overripe tomato ready to be turned into ketchup. Miguel ran off as his mom and my parents laughed. Tai, Kari, and Takeru—none being too fluent in Spanish—were a bit lost. "It looks like my son has a crush on you, Princesa."

Understanding, Taichi began to laugh. "Go Sora! You're just a guy magnet. Who's next? Uh…hehehe…I'll be outside, uh, examining the garden."

My bushy-haired friend sprinted off as fast as he could run. I looked over at Dad. Yep, he's mentally summoning his top war generals. Tai better watch out…

* * *

One ring. Two rings. Three rings.

Pick up please.

"Ishidas…" a voice panted out.

"Mrs. Ishida, it's Sora. Have you…"

"…Yamato showed up a little while ago…"

"…can I talk to him?"

"I'm sorry; he left twenty minutes ago for the airport."

"The airport?" My heart leapt. "Is he trying to…"

"…trying, but I don't know if he'll be able to. With Christmas being so close and…"

"…there's no direct plane to the Isle…"

"…I warned him about that before he left, but he vowed he would make it there no matter what."

I sighed into the phone and could tell Mrs. Ishida was smiling. "Once Yamato sets his mind to something…"

"…he never changes it. That's my stubborn son in a nut shell. I've never seen him this determined before, though. He always puts a bit more effort into things regarding you."

My face heated up AGAIN. Now, in addition to making ketchup, I could supply enough red for tomato soup. What's next? Spaghetti sauce? "Does he have his cell?"

"I'm sorry; it's here charging right now."

I bit my lip. "Can you tell him I called?"

"Of course…do you want him to call back?"

"If it's not a problem…"

"…for you; believe me, he will call. Goodbye, Sora."

"Goodbye, Mrs. Ishida."

**Wednesday December 25 Christmas  
****Main Ballroom**

Christmas festivities are slowing down. It's been unbelievable seeing everything everyone does down her for Christmas. It's so unlike things in America.

At home, Mom and I usually sit around the house, opening up presents and relaxing before driving across the city to spend the day with some of her friends. Christmas is a casual affair.

Unlike here.

Starting on the sixteenth, or so Yamato tells me, the children reenact the journey of Mary and Joseph and, later, the nativity of Jesus every night for nine nights. Catholicism is large on the Isle. While Dad may not practice it faithfully, he attends mass two times a year. It was a new experience for Mom, the others and myself, but it was very interesting.

We all exchanged gifts this morning, though it's not customary for this day here on PPI. Taichi, Hikari and Takeru all went in together to buy me a collection of my favorite DVD's. My room here also has an enormous entertainment center, and until now, I had only a small handful of choices to watch.

Dad—considering he is a king and all—has given me a signed permission slip allowing for my friends to come here and visit at certain intervals each year. Apparently he's made his decision regarding my future.

As expected, Grams bought me a huge shopping spree at one of the Isle's premier boutiques. "You'll just love it," she gushed.

I'm sure I will.

Antonio didn't have something for me. Yet. "Wait a few days, Princesa. You will get your present before the gala."

Unsure what he was alluding to, I settled in admiring the card Miguel had given to me. It was adorably sweet. His face matched the evil sunburn that was threatening to peel on Taichi's back.

Carmen gave me a necklace she had made a few weeks ago. Bits of bright, shiny coral highlighted it. Her daughter had nothing for me, not that I expected it. For some reason she obviously hates me. But I'm going to get to the bottom of it.

Mom and Mr. R. purchased some of my favorite candy from Chicago. And get this…Mr. R. brought a GUITAR with him. "I figured you could play your song for us here."

"But I can't! Yamato's going to sing it while I play."

Dad, who had been a bit bored up until this point, suddenly became interested. "What are you going to play, Sora?"

"If I can play an instrument and show that I have a knowledge of it, I don't have to take Mr. R's class second semester. I'm going to play guitar." But if I have to live here, I won't have to worry about Music Appreciation.

"That's wonderful, Sora! I'm proud of you for taking an initiative to learn an instrument. That could benefit you greatly in the future."

Yes, Dad. It was the underlying meaning of everything. I'm taking this class and doing this for _that_ purpose.

"But Mr. Reynolds," I tried, "I won't be able to sing because…"

"…yes, Yamato's not here, but you can do it, Sora. You obviously know the song if you're playing it."

Is the irony _trying_ to bite me in the ass or something?

"Sora, you have a very nice voice…"

Of course you'll tell your daughter that.

"…and I look forward to seeing you perform. Why, I'll schedule it for Saturday. Do you think that would be sufficient, Carl?"

So, they're on a first name, best buddy basis already?

"That's a great idea, King Haruhiko. I'm sure Sora will pass with flying colors."

Pass? Yeah, pass out, maybe.

What am I going to do?

**Saturday December 30  
****My Room**

My knees and feet won't stop shaking. I can't calm down. Dad arranged for me to play the unknown song in exactly forty minutes. How am I going to pull this one off?

Things have been crazy here. Yamato still hasn't returned my call. I tried again on the twenty-sixth, but no one was home. The story was the same the following day. So now I have something else to worry about along with the music thing.

Kari came up to visit me once again, but I told her I prefer to sulk in solitude. Apparently, according to her news, it seems like there's a bunch of people there and more are coming.

To watch me fail and flop on my face.

What is the public, whom I'm sure is well represented, going to think when the king boasts about how well his daughter, heir to the throne of _their_ kingdom, can play guitar and sing when they see me actually perform? Why can't things be easy? Why can't I just play this song in a room in front of Mr. R., get laughed at, forced to take the class—_should_ I still be in Chicago to actually take the class—and get it over with? Why can't Yama be here to sing the song for me? His voice would distract people from my nervous, unsure playing, taking a lot of the pressure off of me.

Now it seems I'm the moody, pessimistic one rather than Ava. If nothing else, I at least accomplished what I set to find out about her.

We had literally run into each other the other day. She was going up the same staircase I was trudging down. There are two separate staircases to three separate floors yet we choose to be going opposite directions on one. Obviously the Fates wanted this encounter.

"Watch, oh…sorry _Princesa._"

She began to get up, ready to move on, pretending my existence wasn't there. Now, I won't tolerate that kind of rude behavior. _Me being a princess or not._

"What's your problem?"

"Excuse me?" Her hands found her hips, resting indignantly there, a defiant look burning in her eyes.

"You heard me. You hardly know me, and here you are being a rude…pardon my French…bitch. I haven't done anything to irritate you or deserve this kind of treatment."

She chose not to say anything. Now, we were locked in a staring contest, a battle of wits over words. My eyes, fiery from the anger and passion of my argument, were glued to hers, unwilling to break free. She showed the same venom, dark eyes turning from a light chocolaty substance into dark, bitter chocolate. A grandfather clock ticked defiantly in the background, making it seem like time had somehow slowed down to those slow motion scenes in a movie. If this continued, I was going to break out one of those wild Matrix moves and teach her a thing or two about respect.

But it didn't have to come to that. She was the first to surrender, apparently deciding our battle was too petty for her interests. That or she just couldn't hold on any longer. She turned her back to me, prepared to venture up the steps, probably headed to one of the rooms I still had yet to explore. "You do deserve it,"

My eyebrows scrunched up in complete confusion. "I do? Why?" I grabbed onto her shoulder, keeping her from fleeing the scene of the could-sooner-or-later-be accident.

"Like you don't know," The hesitation in her voice was evident. It was like she expected me to know and really didn't want to breach the subject. But I wasn't going there, and if I was going to be left in the dark about God knows what else here on the Isle—and also soon to make a complete fool and moron of myself—I was going to get to the bottom of this. "No, I really don't know. So would you _mind_ telling me before I get even more confused."

"Because…" I was surprised my little monologue got through to her, but apparently she was squealing like one of the Three Little Pigs, afraid the wolf would catch them. "…you stole my father from me."

Now, there were hundreds of reasons I thought she could have been jealous of me. Most of them resolved on the fact that I was a princess—even though, believe me that is _not_ something to be jealous about, particularly with my grandmother. I even ventured to guess she was jealous I had close friends of both genders and was involved in a—hopefully—long-term relationship.

Her words echoed around the stairs, and I wasn't sure I heard her right at first. Her response was not what I expected. "Stealing your father…um, I'm not sure I understand."

"Dad's been gone for the past five months helping your father with this _top secret_ work. Suddenly, out of the blue, King Haruhiko announces he has a daughter none of us know about, and he and my dad are going to visit her. How do you think I feel when Dad is gone for a few months? Sure, he calls and writes, but it's not the same!" Her anger exploded in her words. The volcano inside her, rivaling the legendary stories of Pompeii, seemed ready to spit and spew its burning lava of hate and jealousy in my direction, burying me forever. "He _always_ talks about you. "Princesa Sora this…she's so intelligent…she'll become a fantastic queen…I worry about the Princesa." Do you know how it feels to hear him talk about you all the time? It's like he forgets he has a daughter of his own. Do I ever hear a "I'm so proud of Ava…she's such a great daughter."? No! All I ever hear about it you and the things _you_ do. I just want my dad to pay some attention to Miguel and me. We're his kids; you aren't! He just met you!"

I let her words sink in. Originally, as I've stated before, I just assumed she was jealous of the new girl—the girl who just happened to, against her will, be a princess. "Well, it's not like I asked for any of this to happen. It just did. Do you know what it's like to have all this happen to me? My life has been hell over the past few months; it's not like things have been particularly easy for me. Your dad has been one of the nicest people to me, one of the few people who treat me for me. Antonio is more like an older brother to me. I'll admit, it's nice to have someone older to act like a protective figure. Before this huge storm of unbelievable news hit, I got to see my father two times a year if I was lucky. Now, I'm still somewhat tied to him but being around Antonio makes me feel like I'm closer to Dad because of Antonio's job for him." The words flowed out of my mouth like a river entering an ocean. "Your dad has been such a great person to me. He got my obnoxious grandmother to change her mind. She tried to force me to have ridiculous lessons day and night. Antonio got me out of them. His reason—it most definitely wasn't because I was nice to him; I was anything _but_ that—was you. Yo's talked to me a couple of times about you and your brother, and he gushes on for hours. I have to tell him to shut up sometimes because he rambles on about the same thing."

A light laugh escaped her lips, one that neither of us had been expecting. "He did?"

"He loves you very much, Ava. You'll see it more as things return back to normal."

She was quiet for a moment. It was her turn to be the sponge, listening to everything I said and soaking it all in. "Thank you, Princesa." She turned and fled like Cinderella after she had lost her glass slipper—only Ava went up the stairs into one of the unknown rooms.

I could understand her reasons for leaving, though. I mean, who wouldn't do the same after accusing someone of doing something they didn't do? I have a feeling things will be smoother between the two of us in the future. It will just take a little time…

So, one problem is done. Now that leaves the rest. I can worry about Yamato and all the things related to him later. That includes the fact he hasn't called. Has something happened? Does he not want to be with me? Is…I need to focus on something else. Don't let worrying get to you, Sora. Right now…

Oh shit. Mom just came in to get me. I'm going to get laughed out of this country. People won't want me to be their future queen after they see what an ass I make of myself. There's no way I can survive this. Do I maybe have a look alike that is a magnificent musician like in all those movies? Is there anyway I can get out of this?

They're calling for me again. This is _not_ going to be pretty…

A/N: Two chapters left! Things are finally wrapping up. This story's been on a long ride—over a year—and I think it's due time for it to end. A lot of this chapter was inspired by my trip through Mexico. I actually rewrote the description of the castle, instead describing the hotel I stayed at in Oaxaca. It just seemed to fit the setting. Well, I won't be going anywhere for awhile so I should be updating things regularly, knock on wood. Please review everyone! Your comments and thoughts are greatly appreciated!


	21. Of Fairy Tale Finales

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

**_Calare:_**_ Our hotel really was pretty, but the plumbing sucked. And we couldn't find our room. I was with three other girls and we couldn't find our room number. Turns out we were on the top floor in a room called "Saint Francis of __Assisi__" and our room was half outside and half inside._

**_Eiliriel:_**_ Yeah, Ava was around the age of fifteen. Originally I was going to have the main plot with her and her brother be around Yamato, but then I didn't have him show up on the island with the others. So I changed my mind. I was going to include more with them in this chapter but kind of ran out of time. I promise they'll be in the last chapter, though._

**_SaffireStarz:_**_ I've come along way from where I started. I never imagined I'd get one hundred reviews on any of my fics, and I'm in such incredible awe of how well things have gone over and how supportive everyone is._

**_Inconnu:_**_ I'm not crazy about the whole rape scene things, but it was the only way I could fit something in. Glad you liked how it was portrayed and hope your laptop gets hooked up soon!_

And thanks to:** _outxofxemotions, Ballet Kitty, blueicepop, sorato-takari, nickygirl, JyouraKoumi, Wishinstahhz,_** and **_Mrs. Ishida-to-you_. **

Chapter 21: Of Fairy Tale Finales

**Sunday December 31  
****My Room**

"Sora, everyone is waiting for you."

Mom poked her head into my room, looking a bit concerned and very uncertain. "Mom, I don't think I'm feeling so well."

Alright, I could have been brave and met fear face to face, head held high and reputation on the line. I could have been strong and done my best, ready to face the consequences. I could have done all these things.

But I chickened out.

I decided to take the easy way out. I panicked; I couldn't take it. These people have such a high perspective of me—from the image my father has been conveying for the past few months—and in the next five minutes, it'll come crashing down. What will they think of me? Normally this type of thing isn't a concern, but I'm an outsider entering their world. How are things going to go? I'm supposed to be the future queen, but after this soon-to-be mishap, they most likely won't accept me.

"I'm sure it's just nerves, honey. Sure, there may be a lot of people out there, but they all believe in you. You'll do fine."

"Mom, you don't understand. I can't do this."

"Sora Takenouchi, do not think like that! I raised you for sixteen years and _never_ taught you to think like that. I can't even believe you are stooping to…"

Well, I guess I _did_ manage to stall for time. Unfortunately, it's a result of Mom's raging temper. She doesn't get unbelievably mad all that often, but when she does, it's best to hide for cover.

"…giving up like that will get you nowhere! Sora, I don't think I've ever been this disappointed…"

Okay…this is getting a little out of hand.

"Mom! Would you let me finish?" I clapped my hands in front of her face for emphasis, hoping she would stop her ramblings. "I can't sing this because I don't know the words. Yamato was going to sing to it, but he obviously isn't here. And he never gave me the words…he told me it would be a surprise. All I know is the melody. It sounds really familiar but with only the guitar part, I can't identify it."

Mom had changed. Instead of looking like the raging, dominant lioness she had before, she now resembled a goldfish, mouth hanging open in an almost drunken stupor. "I guess that changes things."

"What can I do? Is there a way I can get out of this? I don't even know where to begin. I'm going to embarrass everyone."

"No, you're not, sweetie." I glanced at her, very uncertain of what she was alluding to.

"What do you mean?"

She smiled at me, placing an arm on my shoulder. "Honey, people will be proud of you for going through with it even though you don't know the song. Just announce—truthfully—that you don't know the song, but you're going to play if for everyone anyway. People appreciate honesty, even if it's not always what they want to hear. And I have a feeling the people on this island are going to want a future queen who is honest and willing to admit things to them."

I was running out of excuses, and we both knew it. My feeble protests would get me nowhere. There was no more denying the inevitable.

My feet took control of my body, shakily forcing me to stand. I would go out there and be strong. I didn't know for sure what was going to happen. I didn't know how people's reactions would come off. I was just going to do it.

This confidence carried with me until I entered the ballroom. I nearly dropped the guitar Mr. R. had brought with him. Mom pushed me forward to the stage where Mr. R. and Dad were waiting for me. "Attention everyone," Dad announced in both Spanish and English, "I'd like to introduce you all to my daughter Sora."

Before I knew it the people were either bowing or curtsying though I hadn't officially been crowned princess yet. Taichi, Hikari and Takeru looked lost but soon repeated the gesture.

"She will be playing a song for a class at school and would like to present it to all of you. Her teacher, Señor Reynolds, will be judging her for certain musical aspects."

I took a deep breath as he pointed to a chair and gestured for me to sit down. The limelight was on me; it was show time. "Please enjoy."

So much for that game plan.

Those were the only words that escaped my lips. I had this whole detailed explanation planned out, but somewhere between seeing the crowd and sitting down, I lost it. There was no explanation, no reason why. Mr. R.'s confused face tried to understand what I was doing.

But how could he when I didn't even know?

I glanced out into the sea of people below me, searching for a familiar face. Mom had been washed away and brought somewhere near the middle. My friends had drifted from sight.

I was all alone.

My hands crept to the strings, and I was about to begin playing when something very familiar caught my eye. Pink hair? How can Mimi be here? Looking in the same direction, it was gone. Maybe I was just seeing things.

Dad, Mr. R. and Grams were all seated in lavish looking chairs on an extended platform. All seemed expected, waiting for me to begin.

But where were Yo and his family?

I hadn't seen him in a long time. Sure, he had called for me to come down, but he wasn't within any seeing distance. He must be standing somewhere with his family out of the limelight. Normally, Antonio will stick with Dad, as he's been doing ever since we've gotten back, but maybe this time's different. I couldn't see him anywhere, though, and that put even more of a damper on my mood.

My resolve was wavering. I had to play the song before I lost the courage to do so. Slowly, I plucked the opening chords of the song, hoping and praying I'd be able to get through this. The beat steadily picked up, but I had no idea what to sing. Maybe I could improvise. Maybe I could sing a song that doesn't fit this melody? Maybe…

"When you feel all alone…"

Maybe I didn't need to worry about it.

A mike picked up a very rich baritone. I recognized him immediately and FORCED myself to keep playing. Yamato? My gaze drifted—though I was still attempting to focus on my playing—and I was in for the shock of my life.

Antonio stood next to the blond with a radiant beam overtaking his features. The pink-haired girl was not an illusion; Mimi, accompanied by a grinning Koushiro, stood in the same area along with the rest of Yo's family. Yamato's cerulean eyes looked directly at me as the mystery song, "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden, escaped his lips.

So that was Antonio's surprise. I was lost in a steady stream of emotions. Much of the attention had shifted in Yama's direction. Dad's eyes had narrowed, as if he was considering sending guards to arrest the blond. But he was unsure what to do, suspicions clouded over by the fact that Yo seemed to have invited them. And this was invitation only.

The song blurred around me; I hadn't even known he'd been singing it until it was almost complete. The words just fit, describing every way Yama had been there for me from the start.

Those in the crowd looked pretty impressed. A good deal of them were bilingual (or semi-bilingual), allowing them to understand the words. For the rest, Yamato's sincere tone and voice had hypnotized them, making up for my somewhat shaky playing. Okay, my playing wasn't _that_ bad; I just occasionally stumbled for found myself entranced with man I've already fallen head over heals for.

His beautiful voice ended the song on a long note, stretched out and amplified by the ballroom we were in. Applause began even before I finished strumming. It was nice to know I somewhat had their support or at least they liked Yamato. But I was unsure where Dad's vote lay.

I was fairly certain he got an idea of who Yamato was after a few moments. From what I could infer, though, he hadn't formed an opinion of him just yet. Dad and Mr. R. were leading the enthusiastic cheers, and Mr. R. made his way over to me.

"Gracias," I called out into the microphone left up for me.

Dad slowly joined us, after some heated whisperings with Grams—probably demanding that she contain the crowd and explain things to them—and led us out of the ballroom to a small conference room next door. "Viene," **Come**, he mumbled over a microphone connected to an earpiece he was wearing, most likely commanding Yo to come to where we were. With his guests.

Dad is going to meet Yamato.

"Que bueno, Sora!" **How great, Sora! **"I'm very proud of you. You played very well. But I think you have…"

A knock on the door interrupted our tête-à-tête.

Mr. R. put a hand on my shoulder. "Congratulations, Sora. I haven't tallied up your total points for what I was grading you on yet, but I have a very strong feeling you passed with a high enough score to test out of the class."

His comment brightened my growing good mood. Until I realized something: "There's probably a pretty strong chance I won't be in the US for school anymore, though. It's not like it matters."

"You don't know that for sure. There's always a chance things will turn out in your favor," he answered as Antonio and my friends entered the room.

"AHHHHHH!"

Mimi nearly knocked me to the ground in excitement. "Mimi, you got to let me breathe."

Her death grip never wavered. "I was thinking about how things with you had to be going and hoping for the best when Yamato called me and Koushiro, saying he knew a way we could get to the Isle for free. Of course I was going to jump on! I didn't want to miss your big day."

I would've responded but my air supply was becoming very limited. Seeing this, Koushiro marched over and ripped his girlfriend from my arm. "Don't mind her. She's just a bit excited. It's nice to be here, Sora. You did a good job."

"Thanks, and I understand about her." I was inching to talk to both Antonio and Yama but had a feeling things probably wouldn't work out that way.

One guess why.

"Yamato Ishida, I presume?"

The blond bowed down. "Yes, King Olivarez,"

"Come with me, boy. We have a lot to discuss…"

**Sunday December 31  
****Beauty Parlor**

I'm getting as nervous as I was when it came to playing. I am to be presented before the public in three hours, forty-six minutes and seventy-nine seconds.

The make-up and hair designers, all organized and bossed around by Grams, finished with me a few minutes ago and now are working their magic on my female friends. I asked Grams why she demanded I know how to put make-up on if I'm actually going to have others employed to do that.

She just stormed off. I'm pretty sure she's not happy with Dad or me. I skipped out of lessons she had scheduled in order to catch up with my friends. Dad skipped out of a meeting with her yesterday to spend the entire afternoon with Yamato.

I still haven't had a chance to talk to the blond as Dad kept him out for quite some time. We both—along with all my other guests—have spent the morning and a good deal of the afternoon being pampered.

But I did get a chance to talk to my bodyguard.

"I assume that was my present,"

"You could say that."

"How did you arrange it? _Why _did you arrange it?" I asked as he began unloading the three newcomers' luggage. I pushed the others off to Ava who was more than happy to give them a tour—and meet up with Tai, Kari and Takeru.

"It wasn't as hard as you would think. I contacted the boy and told him I could get him here, asking, as well, if he knew anyone else close to you who may want to come but wasn't invited earlier."

It clicked. "You saw Mimi's change of heart at school and after the dance."

"Sí, Princesa. With that in mind, I sent the plane to pick them up and then arranged for myself to slip away and meet them at the airstrip. All were fairly tired but very happy to be here, particularly Yamato. He was incredibly anxious, too, once he found out about the singing deal."

"But Antonio…why? I mean, it's not like I've always been the nicest person…"

"…you reminded me of Ava in ways I'll never be able to explain. Princesa, you have taught me a lot in such a short time. Things haven't always been smooth, but they've been fun. I'm honored to be in your presence and serve under you. I anticipate the day you become queen of our island."

"Yo, none of this mushy crap. You're my friend! You're like that caring—every now and then overprotective, annoying—older brother I never had. You wouldn't believe how much you've influenced me. Thank you so much for getting the three here. I just feel really bad I haven't gotten you anything this nice.'

"Who's being mushy now?" he sarcastically replied. The man returned the hug a little less enthusiastically, but it was clear Antonio was touched. "You already did. I talked with Ava last night…and thank you, you really helped her…"

The time is ticking away. Ava, Mimi and Kari are getting made over as I write. I can hear them giggling like crazy behind me. Grams brought in what seems like truckloads of every dress type imaginable. The three of them are picking out their favorites while they get their hair and make-up done, ready to try them on when they're finished.

I'm done; everything is complete. Apparently, I was the first mission. So here I am at the moment, hair and make-up done, fitted dress resting on me, and I'm doing everything I can not to get ink all over my dress.

Grams would freak if that happened, more so if I got ink on the dress.

It's not something I ever would've picked out, but I actually liked it once I tried it on. Poof is about the only word I can use to describe it. The dress is a mixture of baby blue and white. The top is completely white with blue flowers adorning it. The rest goes down, rotating between bands of blue and white. It's a really pretty color, but just so pouf that it kind of scared me away. I could drown in the dress if the opportunity presents itself.

At first I didn't want to try it on. It was one of these dresses that I saw girls wear and laughed at them behind their backs because their dresses were so big. But after A LOT of cajoling on multiple peoples' parts, I tired it on and the rest is history.

So now I sit here, bidding my time, hoping the people will accept me, hoping I don't fall on my face or trip with my heals on, and hoping I'm finally going to get to talk to Yamato. The time is fleeting away. The clock is ticking…

**Monday January 1  
****Dining Room**

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This year is off to an AMAZING start! If the rest of the year continues in the same fashion then wow…

The trumpets were blaring triumphantly. The nearly thirty flutes trilled their highest notes at every octave imaginable. The PPI national emblem "Rey Divino" **Divine King** came to a resounding end with a dramatic cymbal crash.

Dad and Grams both leapt to their feet an applauded, a little unladylike in Grams' case. I slowly rose as it seemed the open courtyard erupted with noise and exuberance. Everyone in attendance was enjoying the celebration. And by everyone, I mean nearly every person on the Isle was present tonight. The beach front around the castle was caked with people, area stretching out to just where the waves crashed against the shore.

We were sitting up on a high extended platform with other dignitaries, all of whom I'd been introduced to earlier. My friends, Mom, Mr. R. and Yo's family were up in the front row in a designated section. Yamato caught my eye and flashed me a reassuring smile.

This was it. Sometime in the next thirty minutes the coronation would happen; I would be crowned princess, future queen on of the Isle. Dad walked up to the microphone and stood next to the prime minister. The other man clapped my father on the back and sat down in his chair.

This _is_ it.

"Ladies and gentlemen…" Dad's deep voice belted, translated into English by a woman, "on this day, the 500th celebration of our nation's birth…" Cheers. "It is only fitting that we officially crown the next ruler of our island."

He paused to take a breath, as it was hard for him to be hear over the screams of approval and a chant— in which I had a strong feeling Taichi was the ringleader—of "Gimme a S! Gimme an O! Gimme an R! Gimme an A! What's that spell? SORA!"

"My daughter never knew she was of royal blood, growing up in a more sheltered environment and lifestyle. But I couldn't be happier about how well she's grown and matured thanks to her mother and upbringing. So she was in for a gigantic bombshell upon learning her true fate. She could've chosen to reject it. She could've opted to give up when things got messy and were leaked to the press. But she held her head high and never gave up."

I came pretty damn close, though.

Grams stood up and joined Dad. "My granddaughter has been working very hard to learn everything expected of her as a future citizen and leader of the Isle. I'll admit, at times my confidence in her wavered, but the more I have been around her, the more I know the future of this land is in excellent hands."

Whoa…HOLD THE PHONE! Did Grams just say something nice? About me? In PUBLIC?

As Grams headed back to her seat, the prime minister, bearing one big-ass tiara on a royal purple pillow, stepped forward. Dad motioned for me to approach them and the butterflies in my stomach flew me in their direction.

The scraping of my heals against the wooden floor was the only sound that could be heard. The tiki torches around us gave off a brilliant shine. I could see the people looking expectant, the area set aside for post-coronation celebrating and ringing in the New Year and a jumble of food stands and booths all abandoned as people crowded closer to watch.

Curtsy down, the prime minister mouthed. I obeyed the command, more so because my knees basically gave out on me. I could feel the heat of the lights from cameras and press pictures. My breathing was so loud that it could have replaced the fifteen bass drums in the PPI philharmonic symphony.

"Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez, do you solemnly swear under the oath of God and all those present, including your father Rey Olivarez, to lead and protect the people of this island from the moment the future king dies, making the best decisions in the name of our great kingdom?"

"I do," My eyes were clenched shut as I willed my voice to come out as strong and powerful as possible.

"Do you swear to abide by all the nation's laws, work hand in hand with government and always, always strive to put the lives of the people of this country before anything else?"

My ruby eyes entered the world. "I do."

"Ladies and gentlemen of this island and the world, I am pleased to present to you the future ruler of this country and future queen…" I felt the weight of the, surprisingly, heavy, jeweled tiara on top of my red up do. "Princess Sora Takenouchi Olivarez!"

Applause rang out. The cheers and whistles met my ears, and I nearly cried at how supportive the people were. Dad pulled me to my feet, wrapping me in an enormous hug. "Congratulations, hija. It is finally coming true!"

This was easier than I thought.

He turned me towards the crowd, and the prime minister pushed me forward in front of the microphone. "Princesa Sora will now make a speech!"

WHAT?

The cheers increased, and I had to do everything I could not to scream. Speech? I knew this was too easy.

I stared out into the crowd with absolutely no idea what to do. Everyone gradually quieted down and was waiting for me to say something, anything. "Go ahead," Dad nudged from behind.

"Um…wow…I don't really know what to say. No one informed me that I'd…um…have to make a speech."

Devil ears were sprouting out of Grams head, and I could feel the heat of hell behind me. I continued on, though. This may not be how a princess is supposed to behave; I'm no normal princess, though.

The laughter of those in the crowd gave me a burst of motivation. They caught the joke; this might not be so bad. "I guess I should say thank you to all of you for being so supportive of me. You don't know much about me but you've chosen to look past that and you've accepted me into your kingdom, to be your future leader. That says a lot about your character and that of the Isle. It'll be an honor just to be here with all of you. Right now, I'm far from knowing the things I need to know to do my job in the future. But I'm learning, thanks to the help of some very important people in my life. I want to learn everything I can about the land and you, the people, because you are the most important part…"

One person in the very back began to applaud and soon the action carried over. People were cheering and screaming. Little children were waving pompoms of various colors. It seemed like they all appreciated what I said. "That's all I have right now. I really just want to express how thankful I am to you for giving me a chance."

I backed away from the microphone, signifying the end of my impromptu speech. In the background I heard the prime minister smiling and speaking to the crowd about something or other.

My first task was complete. I am officially now the Crown Princess of PPI. I hope that looks good on any resume I should have, should I remain in the US for another few years. That's another thing I need to find out. But I have one priority before that: I need to talk to Yama…

* * *

"Sora, where did they get this music at?"

I laughed at Taichi's expression as we danced to like the umpteenth waltz the symphony had played since the dance started over twenty-five minutes ago. Every type of waltz, promenade or old-fashioned dance had made its presence known. That was starting to bug the younger generation.

"Grams warned us about this,"

"I know, it's just," he looked both ways to make sure that—for once—no one was taking notice of us. "This is so boring. I have a cd I brought with me, and I'm looking for a chance to slip it in…"

"…good luck and do that at your own risk. Dad or Grams will hunt you down if they find out you're the culprit."

"We just need a bit of a twenty-first century flow and…Sora!"

My eyes flashed back to him. "Huh? What were you saying?"

"Sora, I know you've been waiting for a really long time to see your boy toy, but another few minutes won't kill you."

"Why does Dad want to talk to him again? He hogged him all day yesterday."

"Calm down; he probably just wants to have a few more words with Yamato. How am I supposed to know? You'll get your chance, though." The final beats of the waltz sounded and the bushy-haired teen, hair tamed the best it could be for this day, let out a sigh. "Thank God it's over. Now I've got to go find away to get this cd in the mix when the orchestra takes a break." He had a glint in his eye, looking like a boy who was ready to go spike the punch at a wild party. Tai kissed my hand and grinned. "Go get him, Princess."

I rolled my eyes. "Good luck. If you get caught, I have no power to get you out."

"I won't get caught!" he yelled with a hand in the air.

This is it. I could see Yamato standing in a far corner of the room, politely conversing with Dad and Mom. Since when did Mom get over there? Oh well, it was my job to get him away from them and to me.

Casually, declining the offer of a few young men to dance, I glided over to where they were standing. "Sora, how are things going?" Mom enthusiastically asked. "This party is fantastic!"

"Things are fine, Mom. I'm having lots of fun. The Isle certainly knows how to throw a party, Dad."

"I'm glad you agree. That's just what Yamato was telling me."

The blond gave me an irresistible grin, and this seemed like the perfect time to drown in the poof, melting from how handsome he looked. From what I gathered, he seemed very comfortable talking to my parents, not wanting to get out of there either.

But I was going to make him.

"Is it alright if I steal Yamato for awhile? I want to show him around some of the sights of the castle?"

"Of course, sweetie…" "Well, we were in the middle of a conversation…"

The answers spit out at once. I looked between the yes vote—Mom—and the no—go figure it was Dad. "Haruhiko, let him go. You can bore him with your information later."

Yama beamed at Dad. "You weren't boring me, King Olivarez. I'll catch up with you at a later time and we can discuss it more in detail. I've been itching to see some of the sights around the castle. Tai's been rubbing it in my face that he knows all this stuff and I don't."

"That sounds like fun," Mom encouraged, putting her arm on his shoulder. "Let them be kids, Haruhiko…"

"…fine." Dad finally relented, upset he had lost this argument. "We'll talk later. Run along, both of you. But try and be back for the ringing in of New Year's."

"No promises; we may be out in the gardens at that time." I called back, looking at the large makeshift clock outside. 11:45.

Dad took a deep breath. Apparently Mom's easygoing attitude was wearing him down. "Alright, but be back as soon as you can."

I winked at the singer and linked my arm through his, reminding him he had to look like my escort. We walked along the beach path, and I took a detour away from the party. And the gardens.

"I have a feeling you didn't pull me out of here to sightsee."

"How'd Dad's third degree go?"

He beamed at me, pulling his arm free but instead wrapping his hand with mine as we walked along the beachfront set apart from the party. "It was nothing serious. Your dad is a good guy. We got along pretty nicely. He was just telling me about the music program here on the Isle when I told him I got accepted at Julliard."

"You got accepted?" I stopped walking, bringing us both to a halt.

"They gave me word immediately after I had finished my performances. I pushed it to the back of my mind until your father asked me what my future plans were."

His hands found both of mine, and he turned me to look at him, layers of poof flowing around me. "I guess we're going to be around thousands of miles away from each other then. You in New York and me here."

He grinned despite the situation. "Actually it's going to be New York to Chicago, so it won't really be that far."

"Wait? Chicago? But I thought I was staying here."

His expression grew sheepish. "Pretend I didn't say that."

I wasn't going to let him forget it. "What do you mean? I'm supposed to stay here on the Isle. That's what Dad told me."

He had already dug himself a hole and we both knew he couldn't escape it. That would be like me trying to keep myself drowning in the poof anytime I look at him. Yamato's hair was gelled back and sticking up at all odd angles, looking windblown and a bit sexy. He was decked out in a jet black tuxedo, as were all my other male friends, except, unlike them, he chose not to wear a tie. Instead, the first few buttons were undone, giving him a little rebellious look. It was impossible not to drown when looking at him. Match that in with his adorable facial expressions, and I had officially become poof as well.

"Well, you're not supposed to find this out for another few days, but your Dad has decided you can stay in the United States through college, making frequent visits here, of course. And you'll be spending your summers here, too."

"So will you." I automatically said, biting my lip for letting the last bit slip.

"Oh really?" his tone was playful and it didn't look as if he was questioning it. Rather, he looked amused.

I decided to play along.

"Dad told me I could invite you guys here over any holiday or anytime I wish for you all to come visit me."

"Really?"

"Really. And I expect you to be here."

"Why's that?"

My eyes molded into a glare. "Because…of this…"

I released my hands from his grasp, leaning up and wrapping them tightly around his neck, pulling him to me and capturing his lips in one fluid motion. The act took us both by surprise, but it didn't stay that way. I moved closer to him and kissed him with as much passion as longing as I held within me. He let out a growl and returned it with equal fervor, opening my lips and attacking my tongue.

I don't know when one of us pulled away or how long it had been. We were both lost in the kiss, floating off the ground in the power it held and in the meaning.

"Because…" I panted, deciding it was time, "because I'm falling in love with you."

I wasn't sure what his reaction would be. To some guys, love is a subject you never breech. There's a fine line there, and you don't cross it or even put a foot near it. To others, they can get soft for the moment, but then freak out and get all commitment phobic. That's the most common one. Others tend to go soft and then get all clingy and pathetic. Some turn into love struck fools. Some are completely cool with it and things work out in fairy tale mode.

I now know what mode Yamato Ishida falls under.

His eyes and expression was unreadable. I was waiting for some sort of sign that he comprehended what I said but received none. Just as I was ready to repeat the words, hoping he'd heard me, he made a motion.

It wasn't a speech or a repetition of some words. "I never got a chance to give you your Christmas present."

That's it? Those were the only words he muttered. Yama reached a hand into his tux pocket and pulled out a velvet box. That can't be a bad sign, right?

"Go ahead; open it."

"I feel bad," I tried to stall for time, hoping I'd get some other response out of him. "Your gift is up inside. Shouldn't I wait to open this till then."

"No, I want you to open it now. Please?"

Damn patented faces. Slowly, I opened up the case, hearing him offer an apology for it not being wrapped in the background.

"Oh God…how much did this cost you, Yama?"

"It really wasn't that expensive," he assured me in a gentle tone. "I saw it in a store a couple weeks ago and knew it was perfect for you."

I pulled the necklace out of the box. It was a heart outline made of white gold with a small blue diamond hanging in the middle. "Not a lot? Seriously, you've got to be kidding me!"

"I've got connections. A friend of a friend of a friend runs this nice store and told me he could get his employee discount. Add that into the fact that Takeru owed me some money…it wasn't that much. And I would've spent that much on you if none of those other circumstances popped up."

I fingered the necklace, flipping it over to marvel it. That's when surprise number two kicked in. "Yama…I…"

He took the jewelry from me, holding up the back to the bit of light we got from the tiki torches in the distance. "I guess it's kind of obvious what my answer is."

I reached my hand up to touch the engraved back_ YI + ST_ and smiled at him. My hand moved back, instead going up to my neck to take off the $5000 of bling Gram made me wear with my dress. "I think this belongs up here."

"You'd ditch those for this?"

"Any day,"

His grin spoke for both of us. Yama secured the necklace around my neck, and looked me in the eye. "So you don't care about the distance issue or the fact that I'm eighteen and considered an adult while you're still a minor?"

"Did Dad bring that up?" I quizzically asked. "Since when has that been an issue for us?"

"No, I was expecting him to, but he never really breached the age subject."

"Why should it matter then? I'll be seventeen in May and eighteen in fewer than two years. You and I really are under two years apart. My parents won't care about that too much. And we can tackle all the things. Remember, I have my own pilot who can fly me to you or vice versa."

Yamato beamed like a child on Christmas. "Well then, I don't know why I was worrying…"

In the background, the area was suddenly illuminated, large shouts coming from the crowd. "TEN…NINE…EIGHT!"

"Did you know that the person whose arms you are in when the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve is the person you're supposed to be with for all time?"

I had no idea why I said that. "In that case, you'd better come here then."

He pulled me into his arms again and kissed me to the sounds of, "ONE…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

I released him moments later and rested my head against his. "What is it? Why'd you have to break the kiss? I was enjoying it," he whined like a child the moment Christmas is over.

"Do you hear that music?"

Yamato's face contorted. "That's not what they were playing before."

Our eyes shifted to the dance floor where one lone individual was going all out, signing along with the words of the song "I Love Rock and Roll" and drawing everyone's attention.

Apparently Yamato and I didn't have the only fairy tale finale…

**A/N:dances ecstatically: Sorry for the long wait, but I think I made up for it with a long chapter. And good news: only one more chapter to go! This story's been on an incredibly long, winding ride—at one point it looked like it had hit a dead end too—but now here we are at the end. Tell me what you guys think of it. Unlike a few of my other stories, there will NOT be a sequel of any sort. I'm all idea-ed out. But rest assured, I'm saving all my creative powers for Artistic Differences, once I finish writing a 4-page paper for my Literature class. And once I finish celebrating Homecoming—we won our football game earlier tonight (for the second year in a row), dance tomorrow and trying to figure out if our float got disqualified for the 4th year in a row. But enough of that; please review and tell me what you think! Oh, I don't own either of the songs mentioned and apologies for any errors; I'm proofing this very late on Friday night. Please review!**


	22. Of What the Future Brings

I'm What?

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon—not mine!

Shouts out and an incredible amount of thanks to all of you who have been sticking with this story and picking it up as it's come along. Without your help and support, I probably would have abandoned it back near chapter 13. Thank you guys for everything! This is the last chapter; there will be no sequel. Hope to hear from you guys about this chapter too! And thank you all for reviewing last chapter and getting me to the 200 mark! Oh, and a special note regarding this chapter: **present takes place 13 years in the future. Every other journal entry is listed by what year Sora was in school (ie…sophomore, junior, senior and college freshman) I hope that makes sense!**

Due to the whole "no review responses", everything will be sent via the private messaging thing or e-mail. Anonymous reviewers: if you would like responses to your reviews, please leave me an e-mail address so I can thank you/answer any questions you have.

Chapter 22: Of What the Future Brings

**Tuesday January 15 (Present)  
****Bedrooms**

I don't know how she found it. Really, it just flat out baffles me. The box itself wasn't hard to find, crammed in a corner with nearly ten other boxes, all overflowing with pictures, articles and God knows what else. But she managed to. She waltzed right over to the box this morning while looking for something to do while it rained outside. I was starting to worry about her when I didn't hear so much as a peep from her all morning. She even skipped lunch; Taichi was beside himself when he didn't see her. No one should pass up lunch, in his mind. Then we heard a scream coming from the guest bedrooms, one that sounded like pure and utter delight.

And we decided to investigate.

Emilia was quietly lying on the carpeted floor, back slouched against the bed with a thick book in her hand. "Mama!" she exclaimed upon seeing me. "You kept a diary when you were little?"

Kari quirked an eyebrow in my direction as she reached down to my four-year old, very intelligent daughter and took the book from her hands. "_You _kept a diary when you were younger?"

Is that such a hard thing to believe?

"Sora, _you_ kept a _diary_?"

I rolled my eyes at Taichi's comment, anticipating that it was coming soon. Takeru stood by the doorway, amused at the barrage of incredulous questions floating my way. "I'd say the same thing, but then again I think you've heard that a lot already."

"It wasn't a diary. It was a journal. Mom made me start keeping it back during the year I found out that I would someday become queen of this island. It's nothing big."

"I doubt that," Kari replied. "That year was hell for you. I bet there are some big things in there. And from the looks of things, you wrote in it a lot after your sophomore year." She gestured to the number of extra sheets of paper hastily shoved into the notebook. Emilia wandered over to the box and picked up a plethora of more paper with my handwriting scrawled over them.

"Aunt Kari's right, Mama. So can we read them?"

I stared at my daughter, locked in a staring contest. "Why should I let you guys read them? They're personal."

"Sor, it was over twelve years ago. You'll probably laugh at a lot of things that you wrote. Come on," Tai whined worse than my daughter. "You know you want to."

You know, as queen, I hold such a high ranking position. I have to make life-altering, important decisions daily, always thinking about the good of my people rather than myself. Why can Tai convince me to make rash decisions?

"All right, but I'm warning you in advance: you'll be surprised at some of the things I write about…"

They all barreled for the notebook. The guys took handfuls of inserted papers while Hikari and Emilia settled for the actual notebook. I headed over to the girls, ready to take a trip down memory lane, recalling some of the more interesting memories from my life…

**Sunday April 30 (Sophomore)  
****Plaza Hotel**

I have been up for the past twenty-eight hours. I should be sleeping and resting peacefully in Yamato's arms. He's wiped out, lying serenely underneath the covers of the hotel bed with his tuxedo still on. His warm arms are inviting me, beckoning and almost to the point of summoning me into them. But first I need to write about the events of last night in this.

Prom was…amazing. I've never really liked high school dances. People say that the only way to have fun at them is to make them fun, but I can't say I agree with that. My friends and I have tried; nothing has come from it. I was willing to erase that philosophy for one night.

Everyone says prom is one of his or her favorite high school memories. I found firsthand that statement is very true last night.

The dance was held here, the hotel Grams stayed at and the place Antonio is now residing in. Thousands of teenagers, all adorned in their nicest apparel, danced and hung out with friends during the dance. I stayed around Yama—obviously, as he was my date and the only way that I, a sophomore, could be at the junior-senior prom— and Taichi and his date for most of the night. Sure, I probably talked with hundreds of classmates that I never knew about, but I mostly hung with my closer friends.

Taichi looked like a pimp in his striped tuxedo. He completed the look, dawning a wooden cane with it as he entered the dance. His date wore a bright lime green dress that seemingly fit her personality, as I learned upon meeting her. I went for a more casual look, though I doubt it was much cheaper than anyone else's. When Grams found out about prom—and learned what it entailed—she immediately ordered her favorite designers to cook up a new dress specifically for me to wear _just this one time._ I ended up choosing from nearly fifty designs; apparently, Grams has a lot of friends to turn to when it comes to designing. It didn't take me long to narrow the field down. My choice ended up being another poofy number. What can I say; the look stuck after my coronation as princess. This one was baby blue with poof up to my ears. Some well placed silver jewelry and baby breath flowers in my hair made things look better. You know, sad as it is to say, I think I'm starting to get used to this whole wearing dresses thing.

And I sure as hell don't mind seeing Yama in a tux.

While most of the juniors and seniors are still down in the main ballrooms and party rooms chilling at after prom, Yama and I, both incredibly tired, escaped up here to Antonio's suite. He had begrudgingly allowed us to stay here afterwards.

But who was he to argue with my mom and dad?

Dad didn't want Yama driving us back. Sure, he absolutely loves my blond boyfriend to death—but Dad's still crazily protective. And he's afraid some drunken high school student that's stupid enough to decide to drive home may hit us. So after hearing any veto for Antonio to drive us to our respective apartments or letting Mom pick us up, my mother came up with the idea.

"There's plenty of room in your suite, Antonio. Why don't you let the two stay here? It makes perfect sense, seeing as they'll be right in the hotel anyway."

"Señora, are you serious?" Apparently he doubts Mom's decision-making in her pregnant state. "You really think it's okay for a teenage boy and girl—who, need I remind you, are romantically involved—to share a room together?"

"They're smart kids. Neither will do something stupid. And if you're there, it's not like they would even try to do anything like that if the idea even came to mind. I'm surprised you don't trust them, Antonio."

"I trust them on any other day, Señora Takenouchi. But this is prom night. Things happen on prom night when a bunch of hormonally charged males and females get into one room…"

I glanced up to see Antonio looking at me. He was sitting in the reclining chair in the bedroom part of his suite, rocking back and forth with an unbelievably stern expression on his face. "You do know that you can go to bed, Yo. I haven't needed a babysitter in a long time."

"Not until you do."

I rolled my eyes, knowing what he was thinking. He thought that if he wasn't keeping a watchful eye, we would do something. "Would you get it out of your mind that Yama and I are going to have sex if you leave us alone? Seriously, Yo…do you really think we'd do that? I'm going to bed as soon as I finish writing in here."

He stared at me for a few more minutes before lethargically rising to his feet and exiting. "I'll be sleeping on the sofa in the living room. But if I hear any type of sound, and I think you know what I'm referring to, Princesa, I will be in here faster than you can stop whatever you're doing. And believe me; I'll be listening."

My cheeks flushed as he grumpily stomped out of the room. Honestly, I don't know why he seems to think that Yama and I are going to have sex. We've been together for five months and neither of us is emotionally ready for this. Our relationship is more than just physical. He cares about me, and I about him. I don't want to jump into something like that just because everyone else is, according to the facts on the bathroom wall at school. Yamato and I both have high morals, and we plan on sticking to them. If sometime in the future we know it's time, then it will happen. But for right now, we're content with the boat we're in.

I shut this, picking it up later to write more, before pulling back the covers next to the blond. My dress made it hard for me to climb in, but I somehow managed to pull myself closer to him, bumping the blond in the process.

His head moved toward me and eyes fluttered open. "Sorry," I whispered.

"Don't be," he wrapped his arms around me. "What took you so long?"

"Antonio was watching me like a hawk. And I had to write some things down."

He kissed me lightly, running his hands through my still done-up hair and knocking the flowers out in the process. "Well, I'm glad you're here now."

"Me too," I stifled a yawn. "It's hard to believe it's already 5:00."

"You're telling me. But I'm going to enjoy sleeping in the rest of the morning, holding you in my arms."

I blushed again. My lips found his in a more heated kiss. Everything felt right here with him. He had been with me for so long, through so much and supported me through everything. Sure, we'd had our fights, but nothing was to the point of wanting to kill each other. "Yamato…I…I love you."

It was the first time either one of us had actually said the words. I was unsure what he would respond or if he'd respond at all. He grinned an adorable, sleepy grin at me, pulling me closer to him. "You know, I could get very used to waking up beside you every morning for the rest of my life…"

**Tuesday October 24 (Junior)  
****New York City**

Why did we let him lead? Why were we so stupid as to do so? Seriously, Hikari warned me all about it, but I was so mesmerized by the thought of seeing Yama that it slipped my mind.

"I was not under the impression that it would take us over an hour to get to this place." Antonio murmured to me as we rode what seemed to be subway number five to God knows where.

No, theoretically even with traffic and no familiarity with the Big Apple, we shouldn't have had any problem getting there. Lincoln Center shouldn't have been _that_ hard to find.

Except we put Taichi in charge of directions.

I know; I know I should have been the one to talk to Yamato and get them from him. I did talk to my boyfriend, but the conversation was very abrupt, as it seems all our talks have been lately.

Is that some sort of bad omen or something? I mean, ever since he moved out to the east coast and college started, things became different between us. Sure, obviously the stress of college accounts somewhat for the change, but there's something more to it. Before he moved to New York City during August, we promised to call once a week and e-mail regularly. At first, that plan—the one we'd come to agree made the most sense—was a seemingly perfect fit.

But then things started to slip. I understand Yamato has grown increasingly busier; being a performing arts major at one of the toughest schools in America can't be easy, right? But it's not like my life is any simpler than that. Grams went absolutely czarish on me over the summer. Princess lessons are now online. So not cool.

Hopefully, I'm just overreacting, making something out of nothing. Right now, I have other things to concentrate on, mainly dealing with us being lost.

This was supposed to be the perfect vacation for us. Yamato asked us all to come watch him sometime this year, and this week was the best opportunity. Things really haven't started picking up in school for Takeru, Hikari and me. It was the perfect chance for us to skip out for a few days. And, to make this trip better, Tai could come along too. He luckily happens to be out on a fall break for the next week. How fair is that? We slave our butts away in school too and our first break isn't until Thanksgiving.

But I guess college is supposed to be harder. Breaks are probably well deserved; I bet Tai's loving it. It was kind of surprising where he decided to go. While Yama headed one direction, Taichi decided to stay in the Midwest. But he didn't stay close to home. He's now studying—or at least leaning towards—business at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. We were all a bit shocked he chose to go there considering it's one of the more academically challenging schools in the Midwest. And it isn't exactly the cheapest one either.

But their soccer team is amazing.

That was probably one of the influencing factors for him. Taichi was recruited by the coaches, but unfortunately, didn't make the team come tryouts. However, the coach told my bushy-haired friend to think positively. With a little work and some patient waiting—considering most of the spots on the team were filled with seniors—Tai will be starting next year with a full-ride scholarship greeting him.

The Yagamis were a bit wary about letting him go there this year without a full-ride. At $30,000 a year, Creighton was just a _bit_ expensive. Taichi qualified for a few academic scholarships—I was so proud; I didn't know he had it in him! But next year's extra help will definitely make things better. I know his parents agree.

Tai loves it out there, and he's constantly goading me to come visit and actually go to college there next year. "You can afford it," he mumbled over the phone the day we started planning this excursion to New York City.

There are some things that never change; it's good to know Tai's one of them.

But, getting back on track, we put Tai in charge of directions so he wouldn't feel completely useless. His sister, Takeru, Antonio and I all took care of the rest, and he did want something to do. At least he got us to the hotel. But that's more than we can say about Lincoln Center.

Enough was enough. At the next station, the five of us got off, heading up to the top and trying to figure out where the hell we were. "Yamato?"

"Where are you guys? The concert's going to start in forty-five minutes. Seats are filling up."

I relayed our location after taking a quick glance at the street sign illuminated by the streetlights. It took everything I had not to snicker as I heard him groan in the background. "Tai took directions from you…remember?"

"I never told him to get on the subway!"

"Hand me your notes," I demanded to the brunette. He obliged, all the while grumbling about dumb blondes. "The directions to the hotel were fine, but we're lost now." I skimmed over things. "What the hell does this say, Tai?"

"Four subway stops," he called back.

"I never told you that, Tai!" I put it on speaker phone so they could yell at each other and duke things out in the typical alpha male game they loved to play.

"Well, that's what I have written down!"

While they bickered, I took the paper and studied it. "How could you follow these, Taichi? I can barely read them." I vaguely made out words, only one of the scribbles resembling "subway". "Tai, you dork! This says 'keep going this way until…' How did you get subway out of that?"

His face began to match that of a cherry tomato as he quickly looked it over. "It looked like subway at the time!"

Clearly, Yamato was rolling his eyes on the other end of the phone. That or he was hitting something—yet kept it quiet so we couldn't hear it. "Here's what you guys need to do. Find a taxi, tell the driver to get you to Lincoln Center and make it pronto…"

* * *

"I can definitely see why you got accepted, Yamato. That was brilliant."

"Thanks, Hikari," the blond sincerely said. "At least _someone_ appreciates my efforts."

"What?" Taichi held up his hands in defense. "Come on; tell me how you _can't_ concentrate on a bunch of girls wearing tight little spandex things?"

"That's all you think about, big brother."

Antonio, probably wondering once more and more how he got stuck with a group of teenagers, rolled his eyes. "You performed well, Yamato."

My boyfriend shot a genuine smile in the Latino's direction. "Thank you, Antonio." He took my hand as we walked out of Lincoln Center with him an hour and a half later, thoroughly satisfied with the concert we had just seen. "Well?"

"You were fantastic! I don't know much about music—but wow!—that concert was amazing. If you guys are already this good, I wonder how you'll be in a couple of years."

The blond grinned up at me, walking us to the street corner. "Listen, you all might want to head back to the hotel. I feel like such a jerk for having to do this, but I kind of have some plans for the night. I promised some of the guys in one of my ensembles that I'd hit this new jazz club with them tonight so we could get some ideas for this upcoming project. I really hate doing this to you all, but I can't get out of this. I promise we'll spend as much of the day together as we can, though, tomorrow."

Takeru gave a fake sniff of indignation. "Hmmp…I'll remember this come Christmas, Yamato. See if I'm generous to you."

"Back at you, Takeru."

"Ooh, can I call the cab?" Taichi called out.

Antonio somehow managed to keep a straight face. "It could be a little while. We'll let you two talk until then." He ushered the others aside, and they all settled in to watch Tai put into use his taxi calling skills.

Yamato lifted my chin up with his fingers. "I'm sorry I have to bail on you. If I could do anything to get out of this, you know I would."

"I know; it's just been a few months since I last saw you. E-mail and phoning are all good, but it's not the same as seeing you in person, talking to you and being with you."

"I know, love. Life's a bitch…it always seems to happen like this. I would take you with me tonight but considering you're a "minor" and are relatively well known…"

I snickered. "I understand; I was just looking forward to spending some time with you this weekend. We won't see each other till Thanksgiving…"

"I don't think I'll be coming home for Thanksgiving."

"Why?"

"There's too much to do here with Julliard, concerts and things like that. And our break isn't that long; I'll basically be there for two or three days."

"So? Two or three days are a lot better than nothing."

"I know…but with the cost of tickets and stuff, I don't know if it's smart to come back." A car honked in the background. "Yo, Yamato, dude, what's taking so long? We're going to miss things if we don't get kicking."

One of the trumpeters from the jazz group Yama had played with walked over to us. "Taylor, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Sora."

"Nice to meet ya," he winked, giving me the once over. I glared back at him, hoping Yamato was doing the same thing.

"Sora! We got the cab! It's time to go."

I looked up to the blond. "So, I guess we'll meet up with you tomorrow."

"Yep. Call my cell, and I'll let you know everything." He leaned down, giving me a kiss on the cheek. "Bye."

My eyes narrowed as he and his buddy walked off. Okay, what the hell was up with that? Why was he acting so cold and distant? I don't care if guys have the whole "I'm macho and gotta prove I'm tougher than you and can't show an emotion" hormone in their bodies. Yamato could have at least shown some sign of love or care.

This is so not how I thought this trip was going to turn out…

**Thursday August 23 (Senior)  
****Bathroom**

I don't care if they're outside calling for me. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want their sympathy. I don't want to be pitied.

I just want Yamato.

It was nearly two flipping years. TWO YEARS! Probably 1,000,000 kisses, 100,000 I-love-yous and two flipping years of love and admiration just to have mud thrown in my face…

I had just about conquered my insomnia. The clock on the wall arrogantly shone 12:30 as if knowing my dilemma and wanting to antagonize me. Today was the first day of my last year of high school, and I was actually looking forward to it. Come May, I'll be ready to go off to college and get ready for my future; if that makes any sense whatsoever considering my future's kind of set in stone.

My battle with the rugged warrior was almost done. I tried counting sheep, thinking of how boring Physics would be and doing everything in my power to yawn and close my eyes. It seemed like I finally gained the upper hand and sleep was gladly ready to take over my body.

Then I heard it.

Mom and Mr. R. are heavy sleepers. They don't hear things unless they're really loud and noticeable. Tommy is the opposite. My little half-brother sleeps fittingly. Knowing that he wouldn't be up walking around at this time in the morning and that the footsteps in the kitchen sounded like an adults', I figured something was up. And prayed that Tommy would sleep right through it.

Carefully, I stood up, hoping that I wouldn't attract Mom's and Mr. R's attention either. That's the last thing I need right now. I picked up a flashlight from my room as I went, not to turn on but to possibly hit the intruder with. I tiptoed out of my room and nearly dropped the flashlight in shock as I recognized the person.

"Yama, what are you…"

He cut me off with a hasty kiss. I had no idea what the meaning of it was. Okay, yeah, it's not like I'm going to argue or fight against him anytime he kisses me. Why the hell would I do that? It's just the nature of the kiss. Why is he here just after midnight—sneaking into my house, threatening to wake up my little brother and facing the parents' fury—just to kiss me? Sure, he leaves for New York tomorrow and I start school tomorrow, but I don't think that's something to earn this? There's gotta be an ulterior motive.

"Can we talk somewhere?"

It didn't take him long to utter that sentence, one that so rivaled the infamous "we have to talk" line that nearly caused me to have a heart attack on the spot. We have to talk…I can think of thousands of things that have been started by those words and none of them ended well.

"Let's go outside, the way you came up." I whispered, hoping to God that no one else in my family heard our voices. It was pure luck the way it was that Tommy didn't wake up screaming. We would have way too much explaining to do then.

I followed Yamato out onto the fire exit, shutting the door in the process. Burr; it may be August but that doesn't mean it's going to the nice out here now, particularly wearing pajamas. "So…"

"I'd say you'd better start explaining whatever you're here for. I don't have any idea what it is, and I know we didn't make plans to rendezvous at this time in the morning, Yama."

"I know we both should be sleeping; I leave for New York at 6:30. But I had to see you."

"We saw each other last night, Yamato. We watched movies with Kari and Takeru."

He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. "I…look, you're going to think I'm a jerk the way it is, but I couldn't let you hate me even more."

"I don't hate you for anything. In case for some very odd reason you've forgotten, we've been together for almost two years. I love you."

"I know you do, Beautiful, and know I love you to. But…I…I think it would be in our best interests to see other people."

WTF?

"Okay, hold the phone for a minute. Where the hell did that come from?" I demanded, doing my best to keep my voice as low as possible.

"Let me explain, please," he was begging, pleading with me to understand. Practical jokes and all are fine and stuff except when they're cruel. I'd say this qualifies as cruel. Please, let me be dreaming. Let this be some sad attempt at being _Punk'd._ "Sora, I love you more than you will ever know, but this distance thing is killing us. We started out last year pretty well, talking and writing a lot. But then things slipped to every other week, then every month, then every other month…our relationship basically fell apart."

"What's motivating you to say this? Sure, Yamato, I noticed the slow plummet of our relationship over the last year. But things got better. When we noticed, we did what we could to salvage ourselves and fight against the distance issue. It takes work to make something last, Yamato. You and I both know that. We realized that before something bad could happen, and we prevented it. And after this summer, I assumed things were flying high between us. Things mended. We're strong people, Yamato. Breaking up because of fears is stupid!"

He put his arms on my shoulders. "Sora, that's not my entire reasoning for this. Julliard is not an easy school. This year is going to be hard; last year was hard and it nearly destroyed our relationship. I need to focus on other things as well. If maintaining our relationship is going to be as time-consuming and hard as it was last year, then it probably is a good idea if we break up. I can't put a relationship at the top of a priority list right now."

"I know what you're going through, Yama. I'm in the same boat with this year in school, but that doesn't mean…"

"Just try to understand my point of view, Sora."

"Understand?" My temper was starting to get the better of me. "I don't know what died in your ass, Yamato. You haven't given me a single bit of solid evidence as to why we should break up. I love you; you love me. Sure, distance is hard, but we can overcome it. It's like you're covering for something." My mouth dropped. "You…you didn't find…a different girl in New York?"

His silence was evidence enough.

"I can't believe you, Yamato! I loved you and…"

"There is no other girl! Damn it, Sora! Do you think I'd sink so low as to try and replace you when you own my heart? Sure, there are millions of other girls there, and quite a few have hit on me, but I'm never going to cheat on you."

"Is that why you're breaking up with me then? So you won't be "cheating on me"?"

"No! I'm breaking up with you because I don't have time for a relationship. There's too much else going on in my life that's seems to overwhelm "us". With you so many miles away and all the shit going on with college and stuff, it seems only logical. Sora, I could never ask for someone like you in my life if I know I can't completely devote myself to you. And with everything going on, I can't. You're too amazing of a girl to waste your time pining over me and waiting for me. You'll find someone else, someone who can keep his pace in a relationship and not get overwhelmed."

I stared at him, feeling my eyes get hazy. So this is it. He won't take no for an answer. Any logical, reasonable argument I counter with doesn't work. He's being stubborn, allowing his stupid fears to take over. "Do you know how selfish you're being right now?"

"I'm not being selfish; I'm looking out for both of us."

"Are you really? I don't want to break up with you. I love you, Yamato. I can't see myself with anyone but you. The way things look, it seems like you're so afraid, afraid to put your heart on the line again. You're letting it consume you. You're chickening out."

"Sora, please try to understand me," he repeated.

"You're being ridiculous, Yamato. Your cowardice is making me sick."

"Look, do you really think I asked for things to turn out this way? I love you too, Sora. But being in a relationship right now is too much…"

"Save it. I don't want to hear it."

He tried again. "You know it's killing me to do this."

"Then why are we breaking up?"

"It's for the best for both of us, believe it or not. You're only eighteen. I'm twenty."

"I thought we agreed age wasn't a factor!"

"You have so much going for you…"

I couldn't take it anymore. I watched him wince as my hand collided with his cheek, my vision being blurred by my tears. "Save your pathetic arguments, Yamato. If you love me as much as you claim, you wouldn't be breaking up for some stupid reason like this."

"I would rather have it end this way than over the phone or by a letter."

"If you're going to be stupid and stubborn, Yamato, than maybe it's a good thing this relationship is ending. I don't want to be with someone who isn't committed. Leave me alone. Go, have fun in New York. Have fun with all your friends. Indulge in your studies. Go find a woman who cares about your philosophy on love. See if I care."

"Sora, don't be like this. Despite this, I still want us to be friends…"

"Friends? I think all chances of that are long out the window." My heart was broken and dropped all fifteen stories down to the sidewalk. "We have too much history for this to happen."

"Sora…"

I pushed him toward the stairs. "Leave, Yamato." My voice was like ice, but the effect didn't come off as I was choking back tears. "I'm done listening to this bull shit."

"Sora…"

"I guess this is it, Yamato. This is what you wanted. We're done." Funny how I was uttering these words when it was he who initiated them. So much for my rational self being here still.

"Sora…"

"Goodbye, Yamato."

He gave me a fleeting glance, one mixed with an assortment on emotions, before slowly climbing down the fire escape, glancing at me as he went. I headed back inside, not caring how much noise I made. The tears finally came down.

So this is it?

How did we let things get so out of hand? How could I be so irrational? How could _he_ be so irrational? I walked into my room, locked the door and here I am. I'm not going to school. I don't care if it's the first day. Some senior year this is starting out to be…

**Friday March 14 (Senior)  
****AP Language and Composition**

I'm such a bitch.

Sweet, kind little Sora would never have thought to do anything like this before. If the press found out about it, oh God…Grams and Dad would kill me.

I think Takeru knows it's me. Hikari does, but she swore she wouldn't tell. Obviously Mimi knows, as she was my accomplice. But neither Taichi nor the Ishidas—at least from what I've gathered—have it figured out. They probably just thought it was a high school prank that hit the wrong family.

But I'm sure Yamato knows…

Okay…so I let my stupid anger take me over. He's back for like two weeks…two weeks where we _should_ have tried to work out our differences. Two weeks where we could have made some amends. Two weeks to get back a relationship we've both missed for the past half a year.

But two weeks went out the window with my stupidity.

I claim temporary insanity. Seeing him—after no communication and complete avoidance (though we should have tried to rectify things immediately)—nearly killed me. He was willingly coming to face me, though probably egged on by Taichi and the others.

Okay, I snapped. He came into my mom's flower shop where I was manning the counter, and I nearly dropped the roses I was holding. "What do you want?"

Yamato looked a bit wary as my rude voice interrupted the huge tension. "Sora, I…we…can we talk?"

"I wanted to talk to you six months ago, but you didn't listen. What makes you think I want to know that you have to say? I don't have time for you, Yamato. Just like you didn't have time for me."

"Sora, I need to…"

"…leave? Yeah, you do. I told you then that I didn't want any of your pathetic excuses."

"I miss you so much." He continued on like he hadn't heard me. I'll admit, his confession managed to make me shut up, but my stubborn mind was still controlling my heart. "Sora, I still love you. I never stopped. I just stopped thinking and realized what an idiot I was being."

"That's an understatement."

"I was wrong."

"Do you really think you're going to waltz right in here and win me back? You broke my heart, Yamato. You just can't say "I love you" and make everything okay again."

His face gave off a desperate plea. "But it's the truth."

AT this point, my anger kicked in and nice Sora went…well, she just vanished. "This isn't something I can just forget. You don't know what I've been through over the past few months. You didn't ever bother to write or call."

"And you did?"

"Don't try and turn the tides on me!"

His eyes molded into an unreadable icy glare. "Weren't you the one who kicked me out, saying we couldn't be friends? Do you really think you would've listened to me if I had called?"

I held up a potted fern as a weapon. "Get out. Just leave me alone. Your apology didn't work."

STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID! Why the hell did I just say that?

With a fleeting look, way too reminiscent of the last time we spoke, he left. I nearly collapsed to the ground, berating myself for my temper and stupidity. How did I let that happen again? I want us to get back together, not stay broken. "Sora, are you okay? I heard some yelling." Mom emerged out of the back room, a concerned look painting her face.

"I'm fine." I demanded, scaring her a bit with my tone of voice.

"Things didn't sound fine."

"Look, Mother, I'm FINE!" I yelled back, anger with Yamato and myself getting to her now.

She stood her ground, staring right back at me. "No you're not. I don't know what's bothering you, but something is. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? I don't need you here being like this in front of customers, and it looks like you could use a break."

I stormed out of the store with a strong idea of some revenge for the blond. And I knew just who would help me with it…

Okay, so Hikari said no. Evil Sora wasn't thinking then. There's no way Hikari would help me with it anyway, even if she was pissed off. But at least she promised she wouldn't tell. Mimi agreed, a bit reluctantly, but I finally won her over with the idea of some danger. We snuck out at night and performed our act in the dark.

Morning came and passed, and I looked out my window at 7:00 the next morning, watching as Yamato and Takeru stared at his former beautiful car, now decorated with a lot of eggs. The satisfaction should have been getting to me. I should have been dancing and singing.

Why am I feeling so guilty?

**Wednesday January 21 (Freshman)  
****Hotel bedroom NYC**

I was such a fool back then. Looking back over my old high school journals—since I've basically given up writing in them—it's hard to believe what messes I was capable of getting in. Now, I only write if I find myself in a complete jam or if something incredible has happened. I'd say this time, for once, things fit into the "incredible" category.

I never thought I'd have an opportunity to hit the Big Apple again, particularly as a college student. Let's just say, money isn't exactly the easiest to come by. I'm paying for my college expenses on my own, save for Mom and Dad chipping in for room and board. I know Dad could easily pay for me to go to the most expensive college in the world if he wanted to. But I'm content with where I am, and this paying for everything experience will probably be more beneficial than I think.

I am a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It's far enough from home so that I don't visit on the weekends, but close enough so that I can come home if I want to. Right now, I'm kind of undecided as to what I want to study. It's not like it matters at the moment, though, because I still have until next year to declare a major. I'm thinking I want to go into political science, communications or business. Sure, I already have my future job lined up for me, but I want to be as well rounded as I can be.

Campus is a nice place, and I've met some really nice people. I still talk to my other friends, but I had to adjust to not having them close by me. Takeru and Hikari are still in high school. Mimi is studying the culinary arts at Kendall College in Chicago. She's still in very close proximity to Koushiro. He's at Northwestern University, studying at the Chicago campus. Tai still loves Creighton—he was the star of the soccer team this year, and he's found a girlfriend! And Yamato…well, he's here in New York.

No, I did not come all this way just to see him. I'm here on a trip over winter break with the leadership program I'm apart of. We're going to sit in on some government meetings here, talk to local and state political leaders in New York and see the sights before heading to Washington D.C. to repeat the process. Okay, so I'll admit my motives weren't completely school related when I decided to come here. New York City's a gigantic place, though. The odds of me running into Yamato somewhere were slim to none.

But, you know, fate just happened to like me.

We arrived two nights ago and settled down at our hotel. That night, we were to attend this "statesmen's ball" that is put on by some of the higher ranking officials. We would mingle, eat and listen to the entertainment. The entertainment that just happened to be provided by some of Julliard's finer students.

Guess who got chosen…

He was sitting at the grand piano, fingers dancing across the keys. A smile of contentment graced his features as he played the accompaniment. His cerulean eyes jumped in time with the music. His golden hair was a complete contrast to the suit he and the other performers were wearing. It made him look mysterious and secretive…as if he was hiding something from everyone.

I fell in love with him all over again.

He was performing before us with a group of about ten other Julliard students. My eyes never left him as they started up into yet another slow ballad. Brenda, the girl next to me, noticed and gave me a nudge. "So, you're enamored with the blond too?"

I snapped out of my trance, taking a look around and noticing that most of the other girls were giggling and looking in his direction. "It looks like there's going to be some competition," my friend Katie replied, taking sight of this as well.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," I mumbled beneath my breath.

The song, a love-struck ballad, continued to play on as we ate our desserts and watched more and more people gather in. Men and women, all wearing professional looking suits, conferred with one another, ate, talked and danced on the floor. We all began to politely clap as the song ended. "Thank you, everyone. We're going to be taking a twenty minute break, but then we'll be back and ready to take some requests."

They began to disperse from the area, some heading over to talk with different individuals and some moving to the buffet line. I immediately knew where Yama would be headed. While the girls all flocked to where he stood, I stood up—winking at my two friends—and heading over to the bar. "Can I get a water with some lemon?" I asked, knowing the drink Yamato always had in between performances.

I watched, amused and a bit jealous, as the girls giggled around him, praising him for his different assets they saw. He maneuvered around them, all the while acting kind and courtesy. I turned my back as I saw him approach the bar. "Here…"

He quizzically turned away before he could order. His eyes met mine and mouth dropped. "Sora…"

I handed him the beverage, very aware that many of the eyes of my classmates were on me. "It's…it's been a long time, Yamato."

"It's been too long," he replied, sipping from the water. "You remembered?"

"Of course. This was the only think you'd ever drink after a performance."

"So…"

"So…"

"Would you like to dance?" He grinned apologetically, and I gave a sheepish smile as we both uttered the same line. "I'd like that." Again, we spoke in unison.

He put down the empty glass, reaching for my hand and leading me out onto the dance floor where Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" soothingly played. My arms wrapped comfortably around his broad shoulders, and his own arms pulled me tightly to him.

"You're shaking," his husky voice breathed into my ear, breaking the silence and getting right to the point. "Beautiful, tell me what's wrong."

"I can't stand all this beating around the bush." I finally whispered. "Yamato, I'm sorry for everything. I owe you so many apologies, and I don't know where to start."

"I promise to listen to everything you have to say."

"And I'll do the same for you." I paused, waiting to see if he had any comment. "I guess you figured out that I'm the one who egged your car."

He tried to smile. "I had a feeling; Takeru seemed pretty certain. Hostility was in the air between us. Neither of us was thinking properly."

"I just feel so bad. I was such a bitch to you that day. You came to talk, to attempt to make us work out again. I just freaked out seeing you there. I wanted to get back together." I hesitated. "I want to get back together with you. I still love you, Yama."

The blond pulled me closer, and I breathed in his cologne. "I love you, too, Sora. But you were right when you said we can't make things better with the snap of a finger. If we're going to make this last then we have to take things slowly once again and work with everything in our power to keep this lasting."

"I want my future with you, Yamato." I admitted for the first time out loud. "You're the only person I can see myself with. I've tried dating others, but none of them even compared to you. We've made some mistakes, been given a bunch of chances and been led back to each other. Isn't the third time a charm?"

"In our case, I really hope it is. I've gone through the same boat as you, Sor. I think we have a better shot at things now that we're more mature and better able to think things out than jump to conclusions. I want to have everything I had with you before…and more."

"You know I want the same, and I'll do everything I can to work toward it with you."

He leaned down, placing a soft chaste kiss on my lips. "Let's give this relationship another chance…"

**Sunday May 9 (Ten years after the last entry…)  
****Royal Bedroom**

I feel like floating on air, and I know I'm not the only one to feel that way. Takeru and Hikari are FINALLY MARRIED! We all thought they were going to be married right after college, but they waited a few years. Both have dual citizenship between the US and PPI, as do Yamato, Taichi, Mimi, Koushiro and I. None of my friends could get away from me! Kari's a grade school teacher, a fine one at that. Takeru has worked his way up to senior writer for one of the capital's newspapers. Mimi owns a couple of restaurants up in Chicago and is just starting a few up here. I can't wait till they open. Koushiro studied computer engineering in college, going on to become, basically, the next Bill Gates. We all expected it of him. Taichi runs my tourism department of the government. He's so well adapted to things here; it's like he's been living here all his life. People absolutely love him. And Yamato…well, his job's kind of obvious, though he does teach music lessons on the side of things.

But, back to the wedding. Hikari stole the show completely. I have never seen a bride look so beautiful. The only person who rivaled her beauty was my daughter, Emilia. That girl got all her father's charm. People were gushing as she walked down the aisle, dropping bits of rose behind her.

That's the reason why I dug out these old journals in the first place. I usually only write if something big happens. And I think this qualifies as monumental.

It had to be the cutest sight I've seen. After the wedding was over—and more rivers were formed from our tears—the dance was held. At one point, the DJ called for a father-daughter dance. Antonio caught the whole thing on camera. Emilia looked even more adorable, getting footprints all over her father's shoes. Yamato just beamed at her the whole time, spinning her around and making her giggle.

"Can I cut in?" I asked, walking over to them midway through the song.

"Mama…do you have to?" she whined.

"Yes I do. I need to talk to you father about something. But then I'll let you dance with him again, okay?"

"Okay, Mama."

My husband, best friend, lover and King smirked at me. "What's this about? I know I'm a sought-after guy, but I was enjoying that moment with my daughter. What's up that you so desperately needed to talk to me?"

I smiled at my husband of five years, casually looking over at our four-year old daughter, too. "Well, I figured what better time to tell you than during the father dance."

"What are you getting at, Beautiful?"

"If Taichi gets his butt around to getting married in the next few years, you're going to have another child to dance with…" I let my comment linger, and it didn't surprise me that he didn't catch on right away.

"What do you…Oh my God!"

Took him long enough.

"You're pregnant?"

A beam overtook my face. "We both wanted another child, Yama. I'm twenty-nine; you're thirty-one. I don't want our children to be young while you continue to age and scare them with all your wrinkles."

"Very funny." He pulled me to him. "I'm so happy for you, for us. This is amazing." Could you tell he was happy? He beckoned for Emilia to join us. The blond picked her up before wrapping his arms around me again. "I don't know if I could ask for anything more right now. Together we danced as a family, and I silently agreed with my husband…

**Wednesday January 16 (Present—a couple months after last entry)  
****Royal Bedroom**

"What are you doing, Beautiful?"

"Nothing strenuous, Yamato." I rolled my eyes at my husband's protective manner. Honestly, once I started to show, he's become so motherishly protective of me. "I'm just writing some things down."

"I'm going to take Emilia to the park to play. If you need anything, just…"

"…call. Yes, I know. Otherwise I'll call for Antonio. He's more reliable than you."

"Very funny. I love you, Sor."

"I love you too, Yamato."

He exited with a wave, allowing me to finally get a chance to finish writing in this. It's hard to believe the way my life has turned out. I've experienced all the goods mixed in with loads of bads, yet survived everything. Everything in my life has shaped me in some way. I am and will forever be Sora Isabel Anamaría Takenouchi Olivarez-Ishida, Queen of Prince Phillipe's Isle. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

The End!

A/N: Thank you to all of you for sticking with this story. Please let me know what you thought of the last chapter of this. I hope you all liked it! Thank you, once again for all your support. I'm now moving onto the last chapter of **Artistic Differences** and if all goes well, it'll be up sometime in the next week. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!


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